Okay, so I wanted to post my reviews for January’s reads today, but then I realized that there were seven books and they’d take time, so I decided to write this shorter post instead about what’s going on around me:

Tasting: Tea and cookie butter, which I was eating out of the jar with a spoon before I picked up the computer.

Hearing: Rudi’s rhythmic breathing. Traffic outside. Occasionally, the breeze. Corey groaning in his sleep.

Smelling: Nail polish. I just painted my nails with new polish that I bought back at Thanksgiving because it was a small company and it said it lacked the nasty chemicals that make nail polish one of those things we all should feel more guilty about using. Apparently those chemicals aren’t the thing that give nail polish its distinctive odor, though. (And, yes, I do realize the folly of painting my nails shortly before bed, particularly since Rudi just put clean flannel sheets on the bed earlier this evening. By morning my nails may be purple *and* fuzzy.)

Seeing: Fairy lights around the room. Corey asleep on the recliner (usually he wakes up when he hears me typing because he wants to help — or because the laptop is warm). The pile of laundry still on the rocking chair from the weekend. Wonder Woman: Warbringer lying open next to me. The still glistening bushes blowing outside.

Feeling: Grateful. I’m really lucky to lead the life I do and I take a lot of it for granted. But suddenly I am reminded of that, and I appreciate it all. And tired, so I shall hope the nail polish is dry enough and head to bed. Good night!