Electric Syllables

A Valentine for Winter.

We’ve reached the time in winter where everyone is exhausted. It’s been a cold month with icy winds from the North, more snow, more ice. As I write this toward the end of the month, it’s warmed up a bit to the low 30s and low 40s. However, it’s set to plunge again. It’s been a long winter and everything feels just a bit chillier all around.

One thing I enjoyed doing was celebrating Valentine’s Day by decorating the fireplace mantel. It’s one of my joys. Usually, I have or acquire little bits and bops here and there. Valentine’s was different. Last year, I shopped the house for Valentine-related decorations—hearts, flowers, an old heart-shaped candy box, Indian heart-shaped wooden block stamps, a Mexican tin sacred heart, ornaments, and what-nots. I also acquired a pair of the famous Target ceramic love birds. In the past year, I bought a pair of IKEA lanterns in red, and swapped out the Swedish teardrop candles for a red pair. Unfortunately, there seems to be absolutely no good way to take photos of the mantel since a giant mirror tops it and reflects me and the room. You’ll just have to imagine.

I just had the opportunity to reflect upon my visits in the past year to museums and cultural institutions of all kinds. I was answering a cultural survey, asking how many such institutions I visited in-person in the past year. (“This includes historic sites, science centers, botanical gardens, and zoos and aquariums, as well as museums of history, art, and natural history/science.”) Not being able to think of any off the top of my head, and thinking I had done an abysmal job at as a culture supporter, I resorted to looking over my cell phone pictures from the last year. Most of the places I would include were not of the traditional art museum variety. Instead, I visited a lot of small, niche and historical museums and exhibits. Here is my list for 2024:

1. The Archive, by Rebecca Louise Law, Brett Hall, Main Library, Cleveland Public Library, OH
2. Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum and Wayside Cabin, Pepin, WI
   A Laura Ingalls Wilder Site. Pepin, WI, is the birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
3. Spring Valley Methodist Church Museum, Spring Valley, MN
   A Laura Ingalls Wilder Site and on the National Register of Historical Places
4. Green Giant Statue Park and Jolly Green Giant Museum, Blue Earth, MN
5. Keystone School and Museum, Keystone, SD
   An Ingalls Family site. Carrie Ingalls Swanzey and Mary Ingalls lived in Keystone.
6. The Mammoth Site, Hot Springs, SD
7. Masters Hotel/Laura Ingalls Wilder Park, Museum, and Visitor Center, Burr Oak, IA
   A Laura Ingalls Wilder Site
8. National Czech & Slovak Museum and Library, Cedar Rapids, IA
   My visit included an Alphonse Mucha exhibit.
9. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, OH
   I went to see the Rock Hall 2023 inductees’ exhibit, which included George Michael memorabilia. There was also a small exhibit on the year 1984 and a larger exhibit on Bon Jovi.
10. Newfields, Indianapolis, IN
    I visited the Gardens, Lilly House, and a brief detour through the Indianapolis Museum of Art during Harvest Nights.

I’ve been visiting the various locations in the Laura Ingalls Wilder All Sites Tour Passport. I still have Independence, KS; Mansfield, MO; and Malone, NY, to go, on the “official” passport list. I’d also like to revisit DeSmet, ND, as I didn’t go through the whole tour.

What else has been going on?

I’m currently reading An Impossible Impostor (#7 in the Veronica Speedwell Mysteries) by Deanna Raybourn. Once I finish, I’ll move on to A Sinister Revenge (#8), followed by A Grave Robbery (#9). I was glad to find out that the ninth book has just been released in trade paperback, which I prefer.

I’m an easily distracted, slow reader, but I’m working on improving my focus and lessening my screen time. That’s right! I’m trying to lessen my screen time. It’s extraordinarily difficult, having worked with computers daily for decades, at least three decades, I’d say. Then we added cell phones that morphed into pocket computers, and the rest (of my time and concentration) is history. Part of the problem is the current news cycle, which is abysmal. Watching the news every day is disheartening. So, I try to limit it to the half hour of network news. I also check any breaking news throughout the day. I try to look at it as if I’ve hired a news team to do the work for me. Of course, I see what everyone is having a flap over on social media to stay well-rounded. But, flipping on a news channel for some companion noise just causes me to feel anxious. So, reading it is!

I continued to review different household and beauty products. The most recent items I’ve sampled include two new perfumes: Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb Extreme Eau de Parfum Intense and Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Sucré Eau de Parfum Spray. I haven’t always liked the Flowerbombs, but this one is pretty nice and I love the matte pink grenade bottle. I like the Juicy Sucré a bit more as V&R has bit of that sharp note that I don’t like. Several recent perfumes seem to have a plummy raspberry note and I’m not complaining. I also received some hairspray, a PUR filter, an Air Wick diffuser, body wash, and POPCORN. What a mix.

In car accident news, I am still waiting to resolve the insurance claim and get my car in for repairs. My car was hit January 24. The insurance case went over 30 days due to back-and-forth and non-responsiveness from the other party. I received a partial payment and am now waiting for the deductible. I have an appointment scheduled at a body shop on March 18. That will be almost 7.5 weeks from the accident. Then I will have a rental car for about a week, which I have to pay for most of the charge, and take time off of work. Yes, first-world problems. But, it just goes to show how much of an effect that someone else can have. I will be glad to not have this problem living in my head for much longer. ♡