The weather report SWEARS we will have sunshine this weekend, but so far the only sun I’ve seen was this past Thursday. It’s early yet, but the clouds are not filling my heart with hope. The pervasive grey is inspiring nothing but an intense desire to curl up in bed and read murder mysteries, but let’s try some random bullet points and see what comes of it.
- A Little Light Shopping. Speaking of my unending desire to read: I continue to buy new books while simultaneously continuing to reread Sophie Hannah’s Culver Valley mystery series, which I already own. (I am on Book 10, The Next to Die, out of 11 so far.) My husband is baffled by my insistence on reading old books when I have so many shiny new ones to hand. But it makes sense to me. I get to indulge in a series I adore (I am finding that I am enjoying these all on a reread even more than I did the first time, although I do find myself weary of Charlie and Simon’s relationship). Plus, I get to fill my book shelves with happy little treats to look forward to. Best of all worlds!
- Light Therapy. I went outside for a walk four days this week, which is more than I’ve been able to muster lately. I KNOW that being outside, in the fresh air, surrounded by birdsong and trees, boosts my mental health. But sometimes it’s just HARD to do the thing. My parents go for a walk outside pretty much every single day, rain or shine or snow or sleet, and that’s deeply inspiring to me. But STILL. Wanting to do the thing, knowing the thing is good for me and will make me feel better, does not always lead to Doing The Thing.
Thursday, we had actual honest-to-goodness sun and I made sure to take advantage of it. I walked around my neighborhood and came upon an older woman walking ahead of me. She was all bundled up in a winter jacket and gloves, hood pulled up over her hair. I tried to do all the things I could think of to alert her of my presence – scraping my feet on the gravel, coughing – but when she turned around (I was still a good ten feet behind her) she jumped and said “Oh!” in a startled way. I apologized for scaring her and we chatted for a few minutes. During which time she told me I needed to COVER UP. (I was wearing long pants and a long-sleeved sweatshirt; it was nearly 50 degrees.) Turns out she was concerned not about cold but about skin cancer, about which I am not cavalier, I promise. But I also need those sun rays to soak into my skin and stimulate all that yummy vitamin D production (I have no idea what I’m talking about, just to be clear). I assured her I was wearing sunscreen but I probably should be better about wearing a hat to protect my scalp.
- Light Switches: My dad and I replaced some faulty light switches this week, which is one of those projects that feels SO thrilling to complete. It was surprisingly easy, once I got past the fear of electrocuting myself. (We turned off the power before we opened things up; I hope that is obvious.) Our next project will be to install some light fixtures in the furnace room, which is bafflingly lightless. To that end, one of my purchases this week was a roll of copper wiring. My future as an electrician grows ever closer.
- Fake Light. I have been encouraged by a trusted professional to look into buying myself a light therapy lamp. This does not mean I have been diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder – I have not; and when I looked at the reviews of SAD lamps she sent me, I became perhaps overly concerned by the stern warning that only people who have SAD or who are under direction from a medical professional should use one of these lamps. And then a friend, who recently HAS been diagnosed with SAD, said she just started using a light therapy lamp and is having awful side effects – headaches and sleep loss. So now I don’t know what to do. Should I buy this lamp and hope for the best??? Or ramp up my efforts to be outside every day?
- Lumos! While we’re apparently on the inexhaustible topic of lighting, one of my favorite things are the smart plugs my husband installed on all of our lamps. I can either ask Siri to turn on the lights or use my phone to turn them on, and it’s delightful. So I can be finished reading in bed and just say, sleepily, “Siri, turn off my bedroom lights” and the lamps will extinguish. Or I can be carrying my book and a full mug of tea down the hall and call out to the Echo in the kitchen, “Siri, turn on my office light” and it will be on when I reach my comfy chair. It makes me feel a teeny bit like I live in Hogwarts.
- Light of My Life: My husband, daughter, and I went out to dinner recently, and Carla was enamored with the paintings on the wall. She insisted on taking my phone so she could preserve her memory of the paintings for infinity. (She will never look at these photos again.) She is such a delight.
- Lightening the Mood. A friend sent me this clip of an SNL spoof on Stanley mugs. When I subsequently saw this display of Josh wine at Target, I cracked up. Get in there, Josh.
I am off to meet a friend, which is one of the best ways to illuminate these cloudy days; the prospect of seeing her has been a bright beacon to get me through yet another gloomy week.
I hope your weekend is full of light in many forms.
Living where I do Vitamin D deficiency is common. One year I had to take a little blue mega dose of it for a while. Since I walk so much and there are often sunbreaks, I feel like I get some natural sunlight. (not every day but mostly) My boyfriend set up an Alexa group so that I can say, “Alexa, goodnight” and not only do my downstairs lights turn off but my upstairs bedroom lamps go on at 50%. It’s so comforting to go into a lit room.
Oh god yes, the grey. I take Vitamin D year round, more in the winter. I also forced myself out for a walk with a friend I hadn’t seen for too long yesterday, even though I really really really didn’t want to, and it felt good. Not that that will make it any easier to force myself out today or tomorrow. My parents also used to walk almost every day, and my mom still does. Today I’m going to walk on the treadmill because Lucy is at a dog play date and I can read on the treadmill.
Replacing light switches is so cool and badass.
That magic lights thing does sound amazing.
I have not reread any Sophie Hannah, but given how I sometimes can’t remember the intricacies of the intricate plots I think I would feel the same, including being annoyed by the relationship (GO TO THERAPY). I agree about rereading – you get something you know you like, plus I have no memory, so it’s partly new anyway (exaggerating, but you get it).
What a treat to have this post from you on a dreary Saturday! Yay! It is SO GREY here and we are having so much fog, which is very weird for me and something that I haven’t experienced much. It’s hell on my hair, let me tell you. You know how I feel about THE D (the vitamin!) and I always take double the amount from time change to time change, in the winter. It’s just so needed, especially for our bones. There’s a huge link between Vitamin D deficiency and pretty much everything, but especially bone health, and you know, I’m always working on my crumbling bone structure. NOT ON MY WATCH, SHALL YOU CRUMBLE, BONES.
Josh wine, yassssssss. I think I have a bottle downstairs and although I don’t have a Stanley, maybe I should just pour it into another vessel. No one needs to know.
I love Carla’s love of dogs, and how it extends to paintings of (probably?) fox hunts!
Soon you shall be an electrician. This is how I felt when I fixed the toilet once, followed by the dishwasher, NOW I AM A PLUMBER.
Oh also, I reread all the time, sometimes you just need those comfort reads! I support your choices.
After a week of gray, rainy weather we finally got some sun today. Just seeing it lifted my spirits.
I re-read a lot of my favorites too. And why shouldn’t we if they are favorites?
Look at you learning how to be an electrician! First you fixed the sink and now this.
Putting on my health writer hat for a second. Vitamin D is your friend. And wearing sunscreen will interfere with your’s skin’s ability to make it. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t wear it (because cancer), but most people need to take D, especially if you’re using sunscreen year round.
I battled a severe Vitamin D deficiency for well over a year. I had debilitating fatigue, joint pain, depression, and brain fog. I saw specialists for rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s disease, and other ailments. Finally, a terrifically smart rheumatologist tested me for a million things, but told me she thought it was a Vitamin D deficiency. My test came back alarmingly low.
Living in northeast Ohio (we recently went 48 days without ANY sunshine), it’s vital that people like me get enough D by supplementing.
Today it’s very sunny. I’ll be taking my walk and getting some sun on my face and hands. Every little bit helps.
This is definitely murder mystery reading weather! At least it hasn’t been too cold which is handy now that I’m spending a few hours outside everyday with OUR NEW PUPPY!!!! We finally got our sunshine this weekend.
I’m Team Therapy Light. I got mine at a really low point about several years ago and just having the light off to the side while I read for 20 minutes in the morning really took the edge off. I say get it and you’ll know right away if it helps and you can always return it if it does nothing/gives you a headache. I know this is a really strange way to say it, but mine worked so well that I haven’t used it in years.
Thanks to my dog, I’m outside at least twice a day. I’m occasionally resentful (why am I outside at 6am in the pitch black?), but mostly I know it’s good for me.
SAD lamps aren’t dangerous? I mean, if you have headaches or something, stop using it, but for most people who live in the northern US, we are Vitamin D deficient and we need more sunlight than we could possibly get. The lamp you linked to is exactly the one I have and would recommend. Get it and you won’t regret it.
I take Vitamin D3 all year round. Where I live, apparently, I can only get Vitamin D from the sun a few months a year anyway because of how far we are from the equator?
I love re-reading. It’s so comforting. I’ve done it less in recent years, but as a teen I re-read CONSTANTLY.
The sun!! We all went outside too– it has been SO gray. I am the very same as Elisabeth re: rereading.
I am also the same as Elisabeth re rereading. I used to read books over and over and over when I was a kid, and most of the books that I reread now are ones that I read then too. However, I can’t think of a book that I have read in the last 10 years that I have reread. There are just so many books out there and I want to read them all! I actually already read My Brilliant Friend and am rereading it for CBBC, so I guess that would be another reason I may reread. Re the sun, I also just wrote an entire post about the rain; it has been cloudy/rainy here a lot lately. I don’t take anything, but my brother’s GF was a little depressed and her doctor told her to take vitamin D and she felt so much better afterward!
I feel you on the sunshine–yes, although I live in the sunshine state, we haven’t had much of it in the last month or so, and we are feeling it, let me tell you. I used a light when I lived up north, and it never gave me headaches, so I suggest you try it and see. Even here I take vitamin D, as my levels were on the low side so my doctor suggested it. Isn’t that a crazy thing, in Florida?
Also, I am on team re-read for life! I also get new books, if more from the library than purchase, but there’s nothing like the comfort of reading something that I already know I like. Please tell your husband he is outvoted on this issue.
I am in shock with this February warmup, but I am enjoying it. I had the tots at the zoo last week. I love your light switch ambition and success. I’ve asked my friend’s husband to come and fix many electrician needs in our home. I will pay him. I just don’t like paying people who shrug and say stuff can’t be done. Huh? Anyway, his real job is busy right now. I look forward to him being able to fit us in. I rarely reread, but only because I don’t read as fast as some of you blog friends. I only have enough time to get to the books on my book club list with a few extra sprinkled in throughout the year.
I very very rarely re-read books. I kind of feel like it’s a waste of my time although that probably sounds terrible to you! I just feel like there are SO MANY BOOKS that I want to read and I don’t have enough time so I don’t like to re-read things.
We had lots of sunshine this weekend and it was SO WONDERFUL.
Oh and my dad is an electrician so I have done zero in terms of electrical projects because I just put it on the list of things for him to do when they are here. Phil will sometimes help out but sometimes it’s best to just let my dad do his thing. And he likes to feel useful. It is very very handy to have an electrician in the family! But good for you for trying something new and learning how to change outlets!
Okay, well I live in Florida, i run outside year-round, and only wear sunscreen if it’s a situation where I would otherwise burn (i.e. I’m going to the beach for the entire afternoon.). And MY Vitamin D is low- I’m currently supplementing with 5000 IUs a day. I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t know how anyone living up north in the winter could possibly be getting enough.
If I somehow were forced to move back north, the first thing I’d do is buy a SAD lamp. I agree with Birchwood and NGS- get the lamp, try it out, and you’ll know if it’s working or not. I’ve never heard that they’re actually dangerous.
I’ve read other books by Sophie Hannah, but not this series. It sounds like I should check it out!
It’s been SO GRAY here, too, and it makes me sad. I want it to either be RAINY or SUNNY, but just being GRAY makes me irritable. I want to go for a daily walk for that hit of vitamin D but it’s hard to muster the energy when it’s gray.
I think you should order the SAD lamp and see what happens!
Love this post with a THEME! You made me smile, perhaps lightened my heart. 🙂 Hope it’s a sunny day. I vote for more days outside vs. the SAD lamp. I need to, too.
We have smart lights here too and it’s so nice to be able to voice control them or from an app. When I have to get up from bed someplace and turn off a light I am like… what year is this?! 1980?! LOL. JK (kinda)
Not the point of the story, but I get so frustrated when I try so hard to alert someone I am there before I walk by and they still don’t hear me!
I had no idea that the SAD lamps could actually have negative side effects?
Yeah, your neighbor is right, we must protect our scalps too, says the girl who hates to smash up her hair unless she’s going to the gym.
I can’t imagine rereading a book or a series. There must be something wrong with me; I’m a One Time Reader.
I’ve lived without Siri and Alexa so far, but smart plugs that led you voice-control your lights…. that might be the thing that changes my mind LOL
*let
Our entire home is run by Siri. At least that is what it feels like. Just yesterday the light was turned on in the hallway and then I heard the husbands car outside. He is smart-home crazy. But there are times it is fun. Specially when the hands are full or when in bed reading.
I also try to get better going outside more. Not only to get stepson but also getting that sunshine. I hear you also sleep better when you get Sundays and Vitamin D before noon.