The Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist

On My Shelf: Books Read January 2026

Who’s ready to talk books?? I expected my reading stats to take a nosedive at the start of the new year, but some epic snowstorms (and soccer practices) gave me time to read a…

Reading
Feb, 04, 2026
35 Comments

What in Tarnation Are Fiddleheads??

A few weeks ago I wrote about serving fiddleheads when my sister was visiting, and lots of people told me they had to consult Google to figure out what in Sam Hill I was…

Life
Feb, 03, 2026
35 Comments

My Photo Organization System (From iPhone to Photobook)

Diane recently asked if I use photos John has taken in our photobooks. You know I can take a simple question and turn it into (checks WordPress stats) an 866 word post!

100% yes!!…

Happy Things Friday: 30 January

Well, that was a doozy of a week!

My part of the world (and honestly, most of North America, it seems) got walloped with winter. It was absolutely frigid and, to add insult to injury,…

FIG Collective, Happy Things Friday, Life
Jan, 30, 2026
49 Comments

How (and Why) Did We Pay Off Our Mortgage?

It always makes me so happy to get a post idea from a reader, so a huge thank you to Maura!

(Her request stemmed from my 2025 Financial Review/Money Pie.)

Thank you for posting. As…

Frugality, Home, Money
Jan, 29, 2026
31 Comments

Demerits and Gold Stars: January 2026

When I did a bit of navel-gazing about the past year of blogging, one thing that came up multiple times was how much people seem to enjoy reading about my Demerits and Gold Stars.

Let’s…