Tag: 2026

Posted in 2026, life, thoughts

DST Update

Posted on by nancyb422

I didn’t realize I missed my early morning stars until I saw them this morning because of the time change!

Stepping out the door
Turning the corner

I suffered a little yesterday from losing the hour of sleep. We always say we’re going to stay in bed on the weekend, but never do. We were up at 6am, which was really 5am. It was especially tough for me because we went out to dinner on Saturday night so I went to bed about an hour later than normal! That made 2 hours of lost sleep. No wonder why I felt off balance, figuratively and literally!

I went to bed last night at my usual time, heading upstairs around 9:15, read a bit, and had my light out by 9:40. I woke up refreshed and ready to go.

So it looks like I survived the time change and I’m actually happy to step out into the dark.

Posted in 2026, life, thoughts

Daylight Saving(s) Time

Posted on by nancyb422

It’s 8:43 am. But it’s really 7:43 am!

Honestly, turning the clock forward doesn’t affect me as much as the turning it back in the fall.

We went out to dinner last night with friends and although I knew it wouldn’t be a late night, I KNEW with moving the clock forward, it was going to be tough to get to church for 7:30 in the morning.

Thankfully, between the three churches in our parish, there is a 4:00 pm mass on Saturdays! It was at my old church, Holy Trinity, the one I grew up attending and it was built in 1887 and is one of those big, beautiful, old churches with spires and the most beautiful stained glass windows.

My current church, Resurrection, was built in the 1960s and is very modern looking. I’m sure it was ridiculed when it was built but whereas Holy Trinity is on a main road in town, Resurrection was built in an area that is bordering residential so it has a low profile. Oddly, I’ve come to enjoy the atmosphere of this church more than the traditional one.

So, church was attended for the weekend, not “gotten out of the way”, as my husband said, and I was able to sleep in this morning. Win-Win!

What are your thoughts on Daylight Saving(s) time?

Posted in 2026, life

Forgetful

Posted on by nancyb422

I have left my iPhone at home three times this week. Not on purpose, but because I put it down, and forgot to check for it in my pocketbook!

One day, I put my Apple watch on top of my phone because I kept forgetting to charge my watch or take it off the charger. This would be the perfect setup, I thought, because I’ll never forget my phone! But I forgot them both.

The next two times, I brought it upstairs with me while getting ready for work, and I guess I wasn’t used to having it upstairs with me! Dressed, makeup on, and back downstairs to leave, never even thinking of my phone until I got to work.

Today, one of those two times, I was driving an hour away to meet my friend and didn’t realize it was left behind until I was at work to drop something off. Damn! I didn’t have time to go back home to get it. It was a little unsettling to drive that far without it. What if something happened to me? To someone at home? What the heck did we do before cell phones!?!

Needless to say, since I’m writing this now, I survived. The only wrinkle was that we stayed so long talking at the restaurant, I wasn’t able to make it back for a meeting with someone who wants to convince me to sign with their marketing company for SEO. I had to use my friend’s phone, and good thing I had the person’s number on a piece of paper!

Of course, once I got home, I had to scroll, scroll, scroll, to see what I missed. It must be time for a note taped to the door that says WATCH and PHONE

Posted in 2026, life

Alarm On

Posted on by nancyb422

At the start of the year, I cancelled my 5:40am alarm. I noticed during the week off for the holidays, I was naturally waking at that time so decided I could wake up in my own.

I was doing really well with it, but noticed over the last few days, I’ve been waking at 3 am and then watching the clock.

I probably fall sleep in between but it’s like – you know when you are going on a trip and you have to set the alarm for an earlier waking hour? Well, it’s like that. The anticipation of my need to wake up at a certain time. Between 3 and 5:40, I’m dozing and waking, sneaking a look at the clock and dozing some more.

So, the alarm is on again during the week. It’s my security blanket for a better night’s sleep.

Posted in 2026, life

Sneaky Sunrise

Posted on by nancyb422

I walk outside each morning at about 6:15 and head to my workout room. Twenty minutes after I’ve jumped (ha!) out of bed, made coffee, and drank the coffee while reading my daily bible plan/emails/quick social media glance.

Many days I round the corner and I’m compelled to take a picture of the sunrise. I’m not sure why because I have thousands of sunrise pictures already. Something about the morning sky, just makes me what to capture it.

Yesterday I took a picture and realized – it is a lot lighter out than I remember! Maybe because it’s been snowing the last few days and the 2 days before that was the weekend and I didn’t work out early?

Can it possibly be Spring getting closer? I can’t wait to start complaining about how HOT it is!

February 11 6:17am
February 24 6:15am
Posted in 2026, Writing

My First Story

Posted on by nancyb422

I was the first to read my story aloud in my writers’ guild session.

I was never one to do that, take the leap, stand in judgement first. I would do all I could to avoid the eye of the teacher, or anyone, just hoping someone else would go first and break the ice.

Something has changed within me (no, I’m not Glinda or Elphaba!) and I am no longer reluctant. I want to share what I have written, or share my thoughts. This was not the first time I offered to go first either. I was in a journaling class and the teacher asked if anyone wanted to read. People were silent, so I said I would.

What I find is, if I go, I don’t have to spend my time worrying as I wait to go! It just takes all the agony out of it and also makes others comfortable that someone else broke the ice.

My piece got good reviews, the class had good feelings about what I wrote. They did suggest more information on the home, and descriptive information. Someone said “show don’t tell”, which I can agree with but the limit was 500 words and I was already pushing 480 with what I had! I appreciate their thoughts and will work on that in my next piece.

Some of the stories were a family’s trip to watch their son graduated from Marine bootcamp, a scene from a screenplay being written, a fantasy dungeons and dragons type story, an article on creativity, and a poem that this young lady wrote on writers block that was amazing and she wrote it that afternoon!

It is an interesting program, just one evening a month, but it makes me think in terms of what I’m writing and have I provided enough to bring a reader into the story.

The following is my story from class. I would call it “historical fiction” as it’s the true story of my grandmother with imagination thrown in.

On that April morning in 1927, Antonia knew something was not quite right.  Five months pregnant with her 6th child, she knew how she was supposed to feel and this wasn’t it.

She lay in bed and her thoughts drifted back to the day she arrived in America 17 years ago.  She had just spent 9 days on a ship from Bremen Germany but didn’t give it a thought.  She was just so excited to see her sister Aniela, her brother-in-law Josef, and their four children.  The next part of her trip would be a train ride from New York to Springfield Massachusetts and then the local train to Palmer where Josef would be waiting for her at the station.  “Oj,” she thought, coming back to present day, “time enough for daydreaming later, I need to get ready for the day.”

Out of bed, she roused her husband and children.  Charles was still working this week at least. Ever since returning from France at the end of the war, he hadn’t been the same and she missed him.  He survived the trenches, but the head wound from a train accident on the way to the coast almost killed him.   The nasty scar was on the outside, but she wondered what happened to his brain on the inside.

After breakfast, Charles went off to work, and Steven, Helen, and Walter went off to school.  That left John, her 3-year-old home but the way she felt, she asked Eddie if he could stay home too.  At 12, Eddie was more than happy to stay home!  She went about her morning chores, while Eddie kept John occupied.

By early afternoon, the pain in her belly was increasing.  “Eddie! Run and get the midwife to come here.  Then head to the factory and get your father!”  Eddie jumped up and ran out the door.  “Come Johnny, let’s get you to bed for your nap”.  She nudged her son along to the bedroom and got him settled in bed and oh how she wanted to climb in next to him!

The midwife arrived, looked at her, and knew they needed to go to the hospital.  A few minutes later, Eddie and Charles arrived.  “We’re off to the hospital; She’ll be fine once we get a doctor to look at her.”  Antonia kissed her husband and son and reminded them that the other children would be home soon.  “Tell them I love them and I love you too.”  She could see the worry in their faces as she left.

Charles got the children fed and then headed to the hospital that evening.  Antonia was lying in bed, looking pale and tired.  “I’m ok, I’m ok!  Maybe I just need a little rest.”  Give my babies a kiss and I’ll see you all tomorrow.”  He gave her a kiss and left, not knowing it would be the last time he saw her.

What do you think? Did I draw you in to her story? If you’re interested in reading about my family, you can find it at It’s All About Family.

Posted in 2026, Writing

Writing

Posted on by nancyb422

I wrote about being on time last month . It happened at the first meeting of a Writers Guild at our public library. So now I’ll tell you about the guild –

I was excited to see it listed in the newsletter events. There had been a similar program, but I never attended. Now it is back and I put it in my calendar as soon as I saw it.

It is being led by a woman who is a “cultural anthropologist”, writer, and writers workshop teacher. I like her style.

There were about 25 other people in the first session. 2 men and the rest women in the range of late 20s to early 70s by my estimation. All with some degree of writing experience.

I write regularly between here, my family stories, and my journal, but this program is a lot different.

After sharing names and our writing practices, we had a “muscle-building writing spring”. We had to write a motivational speech for a group of animals outside our house. My mind went right to the birds, squirrels and rabbits in my backyard and it was off to the races! It was fun to write something different.

We meet the last Wednesday of the month and our task for tomorrow was to write a very short piece, 500 words or less. A few people will read their stories and the rest of us will say how the piece affects them. No criticism.

I wrote my piece, almost 500 words, no surprise there, but this was tough to do. I knew I wanted to turn a story about my paternal grandmother into a story. I went at it from a few different angles, then picked one. I typed it up, printed it out, let it sit, and then made the edits. I’m hoping it doesn’t sound too smaltzy, and if given the chance, I will read it out loud. And maybe post it here!

Wish me luck!

Posted in 2026, life

Always Our Baby

Posted on by nancyb422

As a parent, will we ever NOT worry about our children?

Our 35 year old son, married, business owner, and dog father to two cocker spaniels, borrowed my car so he and his wife could go to Foxwoods Casino for a concert. The casino is about an hour and a half away by way of 95 North to 395 North.

Of course I said yes, so he left his truck in our driveway and said, even though it would be late, he would come and swap vehicles. Which was good because I didn’t want to drive our truck to church!

Our New England weather this weekend includes temperatures of single digits, blowing winds, and snow squalls. Brrrr.

I went to bed and didn’t put in my earplugs thinking I would possibly hear him pull in later that night. Of course, I couldn’t, so I slept fitfully wondering if they had come back yet.

Every time I woke up, I wondered. But I didn’t want to get out of bed to check because if his truck was still there, I’d worry more!

I woke up at 6 and went downstairs where my husband was drinking his coffee. He said on one of his trips to the bathroom, when he saw the truck was gone, he was able to sleep better.

Now, if they had gone in their own vehicle and we didn’t know their coming and going, we’d have slept blissfully through the night!

Posted in 2026, life, Memories

Love Is Blind – The Show

Posted on by nancyb422

I saw on Netflix that Season 11 of Love Is Blind will be starting soon. I’m not big on manufactured drama like The Bachelor and Bachelorette, but I’ve been searching for a binge show and with 11 seasons, I might be able to make it through 5 and call it good.

This is the show where there are a bunch, 10 or 12 each, of men and women. Women in one side, men the other, and they enter pods and talk without seeing each other. Once a couple decides this is it, he proposes, they meet, they’ll go on a trip, meet family and friends, and then get married. Maybe. I’m curious to see how many get to the alter.

Last night was my first episode. There’s a man by the name of Barnett and I had his number the minute he opened his mouth. Mind you, I’m coming from a 65 year old perspective but it took my mother’s death and a rescheduled trip to Jamaica to find the man of my dreams, so I’ve seen many types of men.

Back to Barnett (I keep thinking Bennett), quick with a joke, that way of saying something, making you think it’s true, and then giving it a “nah, I’m just kidding.” The guy incapable of making a decision, has 3 girls on a hook right now but with a different relationship with each. Remember, they are in pods so are talking and don’t know what the other looks like. But the women and men talk to each other about the people they are connecting with so that can get a little dicey.

One woman, Jessica, is convinced they are a match made in heaven. LC and Barnett are “exactly alike” he says. To that I say “RUN”, you’ll never make it. The third, Amber, who I thought was a little annoying, is the one he has had the deepest conversations with.

Jessica also made a connection with Mark who is 10 years younger than her. She is 34, he is 24. But would he be there if he wasn’t mature and grounded? He’s more grounded than Barnett. Well, Jessica, casts aside Mark because she is convinced she’s going to be Mrs. Barnett. Don’t you know, Barnett turns around and says, “mmm yeah, I don’t know, I’m feeling a connection with others.”

Now Jessica lost my vote when she proclaims that she has met a million Barnetts and she’s NOT playing that game. Honey, your spidey senses should have told you to run. Nice backtrack.

In the first two episodes, there has been 3 “engagements” and one in progress at the end of the episode. Between a man and a woman who just previously said to this man she tends to self-sabotage. By the look on her face, she might be planning just that, or maybe it’s to throw us off. I will have to wait and see.

In the meantime, here is a picture of my husband and I during the week after we met at the Montego Bay, Jamaica airport.

The week of May 2, 1987
Posted in 2026, life

A Mantra for Monday

Posted on by nancyb422

This morning in my dark workout room, the soothing voice of Chelsea Jackson Roberts flowed around me. “I Will Do My Best”.

10 minutes to repeat that thought to carry it with me throughout my day.

What is my best? For today it is:

  • Ignore social media not relevant to my work
  • Start with the hard things or “swallow my frog” first thing
  • Be present – which is another one of her mantras!

Being present can sometimes be more difficult than doing difficult things or ignoring social media. I look too far forward, or try to solve this problem or that before it even arises. Wasting my present time over the future.

Will I succeed? I don’t know but,

I will do my best.