Good morning. 🐦⬛🐦⬛🐦⬛
1 February 2026
Well, we made it through January—more or less. I must have, anyway, because here I am at zero‑dark‑thirty typing about anything that isn’t politics. Believe me, I have plenty of thoughts on that front, but this isn’t the place. This is the quiet corner where I sort out life’s small quirks. The trouble is, my life has been pretty uneventful lately—which, truth be told, is exactly how I prefer it.
Take yesterday. The big excitement was a new coffee grinder arriving on the porch. The old one had stopped doing the one job it had, so I ordered the same model again. No learning curve, no surprises. Charlie and I walked down to check the mail. I took a couple of naps. I even planned to drag my dumbbells and bench into the family room to get some exercise, but I forgot. Maybe I’ll get to it this afternoon. Mornings are for coffee.
Out back, the cold weather brought in crowds of small birds—mostly chipping sparrows and goldfinches, with house sparrows, cardinals, chickadees, titmice, and the occasional warbler mixed in. I thought about sitting outside to watch them, but it was colder than I cared to tolerate. Every so often I’d open the back door for Charlie and watch him charge into the yard, sending birds skyward and squirrels scrambling for the hole under the fence.
Maybe “boring” isn’t the right word for days like these. Maybe the better word is solitude—the kind that feels earned, steady, and just right.
“Solitude helps you find peace. Peace helps you find happiness.” — Maxime Lagacé
“A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?” — Albert Einstein
“Be so fulfilled with yourself, that even when you are alone, you feel in good company.” — Irini Zoica
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