Month: February 2026

I read a lot, as many folks know. But there are many so-called classics that I have never read; they were never assigned in school, and I’m just not interested in reading them. (It’s actually a pretty long list.) At any rate, a book came out recently called “James” by Percival Everett.  It’s a retelling of Huck Finn, told from the perspective of escaped slave James.  It’s supposed to be an amazing book, and I really want to check it out, but I’ve never read “Huckleberry Finn.”  Not interested. But, in the interest of having a little more of a clue about the story, I’ve fallen back on our old pal, Cliffs Notes. (Heard a podcast about that recently; they’re CliffS Note, not Cliff Notes.)

The prints on our sidewalk really grabbed my attention.  Big and small boots, big and small paw prints, moving in different directions.

I’m told there’s a lot of snow falling, but I can’t really see out the window to confirm. I’m also assuming our neighbors’ homes are still there.

There were many cats roaming the resort. This little black cat hung out with us for a couple days, wanting desperately to be let into our room.  When I woke up this morning, there she was.  We were busy with last minute packing, and simply gave up on keeping her out.

The office for the place I went snorkeling was absolutely crawling with iguanas.  One of them apparently spends pretty much all his time tucked in by some plants; the staff have named him Pepe, and he’s so chill, you can pet him.  This is not him, it’s just a better picture of an iguana

We had the option each day of having breakfast on the beach or in our villa.  We chose the beach.

We were lounging on the outdoor bed (yes, there was an outdoor bed, perfect for napping), and Doug was trying to orient me:  the office is there, the parking area is there, etc.  Then I cut him off and said  “And the crab is there.”

When I imagine an island paradise, it looks pretty much like this.

Saw a couple golden retrievers in the backseat of this car. Whatever you may think of Tesla, you have to admit having this setting in the car is a pretty great idea.

The library held a Lunar New Year celebration. Our new mayor was there to say a few words My ELL student and I went, and she taught me some stuff, and fed me some treats.