February 2026 was defined by our seven inches of rain and the Peacock app. I watched an excessive amount of Olympic coverage and loved it all. The wins are fun. The gold medals are exciting. The comebacks are deeply inspiring. I love watching a returning athlete who now understands that failure isn’t the end of the story and has accepted it as just part of the process. Plus, it’s so fun to see someone perform because they want to be competing, not because they need to be. (And if you’re having ice dancing withdrawal, I recommend this Netflix doc and this novel.)

Early this month, I listened to this podcast episode with Ezra Klein and novelist, George Saunders, and was particularly struck by their discussion towards the end about the difference between being nice and being kind. I had never thought about there being a difference but now that’s it’s clicked, I’ll never forget it. Google offers a nice summary here but as a simple example: “Nice” is when someone politely ignores that you have something in teeth. “Kind” is when someone discretely lets you know so you can fix it. I have been both nice and kind over the past 41 years. I want to spend my next 41 being kinder.

Every audiobook I tried this month was a swing and miss, but on paper I had a great month. I read a lot of contemporary fiction and these three were my favorites. They are all pretty fast-paced but still made me think. Best Offer Wins is about a millennial woman trying to secure a house in a tough market that somehow turns into a thriller. Lost Lambs is about a family of five that is simultaneously unraveling and coming of age at the same time. My Friends is told in Backman’s signature “drip, drip, drip” method and about art, grief, masculinity and deep friendship. I laughed. I gasped. I cringed. I cried. I lit up the book club text chain.

In Northern California, my anemones are blooming! I’ve reached the part where I can’t go out to the garden without coming back in with a handful of blooms (my favorite part that with any luck will last into early May and then chill for a bit and pick up again in July). This is my third year planting anemone corms and most this season were ones I dug up last year, separated and replanted. I grow Galilee White with Black Centers and Italian Levante Rosa from Petal Back Farm.

I sewed a pair of oven mitts in an afternoon this month. I used this free pattern and many layers of my decor weight fabric. They turned out so cute! I re-opened my fabric shop through March 8 (and am selling by the yard vs. half yard so it’s an even better deal) if you’re interested in some excellent heavy-weight natural fabric.

I got a pair of yoga blocks for my birthday. I have been taking short yoga classes (generally 10-20 minutes) through the Peloton app since early November when I realized I needed low-impact workouts if I was going to hit my 10k goal. I haven't had a consistent yoga practice since college and its been fun to get back into it. All of the instructors recommend using blocks and as of this past week, I have been able to follow their instruction. Surprise, surprise, the blocks are a game-changer. There are poses that have been impossible for me that are now feeling doable! There are poses that felt “fine" that now feel “great"! I am reminded (again) that having the right tools for the task is so important.

I got to close a crafting loop yesterday when I finished my marigold wall quilt. I dyed this fabric over the summer and started cutting the fabric in early September. The dark yellow was dyed with dried marigold flowers at 200% weight of goods (meaning for 50g of dry fabric, I used 100g of dried flowers) and then the light yellow was made in the same pot, but just the second time around (where there was less dye to transfer). I framed it with the same method as my big wall quilt and it’s going to hang in our stairwell. I am relieved to have this project off my list and am slowly starting to spin ideas for my next one once I replenish my natural dye fabric stash. (It’s going to be an excellent crafting summer.)