A roundup of some books I enjoyed throughout this past year, in categories I'm inventing on the spot. Book I Looked Forward to so Much I Requested it for Christmas, and it Fulfilled My Anticipation Bread of Angels, a memoir, by Patti Smith I finished reading Smith's memoir moments before starting this blog post. I generally only buy books by local authors or writers I know.

I generally don't listen to audiobooks or music or anything on my phone during my pedestrian rambles. I also don't usually set any kind of goal, track my walking speed, or try to solve any of my personal problems. No shade intended for those who get something different from walking. I'm simply describing how the practice is meaningful to me. My brain tends to hyperdrive most of the time, and this is how I find some balance in my life.

Christmas Eve at our house was peaceful and good, with just the three members of the household. The husband had to work part of the day but got off early. The grown son who lives here works from home and sets his hours, so he often takes his dinner up to his room and eats at the keyboard while creating code.

I was sent the CECOT segment anonymously in a group chat.

I talked my son into taking a little stroll with me around the neighborhood today, and we ended up on a stretch of sidewalk I don't walk frequently. Me: What is that?Son: Looks like a crab. Maybe. Shoe tips left in for size reference. Half a block later... Me: You were right. It's all spelled out in front of us.

A federal judge Monday refused to back Missouri’s Republican leaders efforts to block a statewide vote on a gerrymandered congressional map.

Abortion rights became law one year ago in Missouri. How few abortions happened since illustrates the difficulty of rebuilding access once it's decimated.

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We are still staying at the hotel in the town where my in-laws live. This morning, the hubs and I ventured over to a nearby residential area for our walk. It was a nice little neighborhood, with mostly standard ranch homes. Several houses were decorated for Christmas or in the process of being adorned. And then we rounded the corner to the sight of surprise butterflies painted on a privacy fence. What a delight, brightening up the street! You never know where you’ll find art waiting to be discovered. ~~

Today's walk involved a fortunate discovery. The spouse and I are visiting some of his family in Oklahoma and staying in a hotel. I really wanted to make sure and get a walk before over---um, eating. Just eating. Oh, hey, look at this park *right behind* the hotel! The attractive gentleman below was a value-added component I brought to the experience.

A few weeks ago, our neighborhood hosted a day of garage sales, and these two curiosities made their way home with me--tour itineraries for England, Wales, and Contintental Europe, for the years 1913 and 1914. I assume all went well in 1913, since the tour organizer, Ms. Stella M. Weyer of Washington, PA, decided a repeat was in order for the next year.

In this recording from our live conversation, I spoke with Evanston resident Jennifer Moriarty, who was "grabbed by the neck" and then detained while peacefully protesting against ICE.