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  • Home
  • Things I Do
    • Read Books
    • Get Crafty
    • Enjoy Music
    • Travel
    • Try to Be a Writer
  • Places I Go
    • Lighthouses
    • National Parks
    • NYS Parks
  • Things I Talk About
    • Aging
    • Events
    • Family
    • Funny Stuff
    • Health and Wellness
    • Memories
    • Mental Health
    • Nerd Stuff
    • News
    • Pride
    • Random Thoughts
    • Rants and Raves
    • The Love Letters Project
  • Where to Find Me
    • Ravelry
    • Instagram
    • The Storygraph
    • Bluesky
    • Facebook
    • Spotify
    • Pinterest

climacteric (noun):

1. A critical stage or decisive point; a turning point

2. The phase encompassing the transition from the reproductive state to the non-reproductive state (see also: menopause)

3. My life as a fifty-something navigating the back side of middle age

The Checklists

  • The National Parks
  • All National Park Units
  • New York State Parks

The 63 National Parks, sorted alphabetically

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thejennesaisquoi

Neurospicy old lady. Audiobook enthusiast. Yarn addict. Barbershopper. Dog mom. Crochet is my love language.
Something new on the hook this weekend, and it's m Something new on the hook this weekend, and it's my first attempt at making a wearable without a pattern. It'll be a bright and summery tank top and will hopefully work up quickly. Yarn: @queenslandcollection Coastal Cotton Fine #crochet #crochetersofınstagram #handmade #onthehook #yarnaddict 🧶
Highland Holiday by Lily Gold Format: Kindle Ok Highland Holiday by Lily Gold Format: Kindle Ok folks, I was NOT expecting to love this book as much as I did. I was just cruising through KU and it popped up as a recommendation and I almost passed it by and I'm SO GLAD I didn't! Pick this one up if you enjoy: * Burly Scottish men * Foursomes with the above-mentioned burly Scottish men * City girl stuck in the highlands * Grumpy sunshine * Why choose? * Found family * Cuddly lambs * Becoming an emotional basket case because you identify so strongly with a character. Seriously, the ADHD rep is real, and it is accurate, and it totally made me feel seen. I didn't get diagnosed until my 50s, and I so wish I had a story like this decades ago to help me figure things out. Thank you @authorlilygold for showing what ADHD is really like, not some stereotype of a person with a short attention span. Also...when do we get Lulu's story? Because we 100% need that in the world. #LilyGoldIsBack #bookstagram #romancereadersofinstagram #bookreview📚 #instareads
My first contemporary romance reads in over a year My first contemporary romance reads in over a year and I'm in love! I spent all of 2025 as far away from the romance genre as possible, probably because I had OD'd on it during the pandemic. I was on a detective fiction kick last year, blowing through all of Sue Grafton's and Michael Connelly's books, and some others. But I think 2026 will mark my return to the romance world, and I couldn't have asked for a better place to sink back in. I chose B.K. Borison's First-Time Caller completely on a whim as I was looking through audiobooks on Libby. Cute cover, sweet blurb, available now. Sold. And I flew through it. Absolutely LOVED. Went back to Libby to get book 2 - And Now, Back to You - only to be smacked in the face with a 12 week wait. Ummmm...no. That's not gonna work for me. So off to Libro.fm I trotted to use one of my credits. And I cannot even tell you how much I adored these stories. Fun characters and beautiful love stories and a lot of humor, inspired by some of the best and most beloved rom-coms: Sleepless in Seattle (First-Time Caller) and When Harry Met Sally (And Now, Back to You). I'm very pleased to see that there will be a third book in the Heartstrings series at some point in the future, and if it's not Maggie and Cooper's story (You've Got Mail?) I'm going to cry. Of course the end of a good book with characters you don't want to say goodbye to is usually fuel for a book hangover, and I've got one. Anyone have any suggestions for my next romance read? What books did I miss in 2025? #recentreads #audiobooks #bookstagram #romancereadersofinstagram #igreads
I'm not kidding when I say I've been lusting over I'm not kidding when I say I've been lusting over this yarn for the better part of a year. I've been getting FB ads from @arcanefibreworks for a long time, and every time I'd click that link and drool over all of the gorgeous colorways, telling myself that I don't need any more yarn. But She Sells Sea Shells has enchanted me on every visit to the site. A couple of weeks ago it was my birthday, and I decided that 57 years of life deserves pretty yarn, so I ordered myself four skeins. Of course that meant I needed to find a pattern. I searched Ravelry and came across the Summer Stream Tee drop loop crochet top by @forthefrills and knew it would be a perfect match for this yarn. The yarn arrived today and I quickly wound up a cake and dove in. I made a gauge swatch like a good girl (I hate making gauge swatches but doesn't everybody?) and have finished the first ten rows. This is such an easy and relaxing pattern, just front loop half doubles for most of it. Perfect for vegging in front of the TV (currently watching LotR The Two Towers). I'll post progress pics as I go along. Hopefully it will be done in time for the first warm weather of spring! #crochet #crochetersofınstagram #crochetaddıct #yarnlove #yarnaddict
It's a little late for a Halloween costume, but wh It's a little late for a Halloween costume, but who can guess what I'm dressed as today? Even my tattoo is in on the action! #bluewave #votetheassholesout #makeamericaademocracyagain
I'm not even out of bed yet and I'm already irrita I'm not even out of bed yet and I'm already irritated. I love my USPS Informed Delivery, but not when it brings me news like this. 😡 #jurysummons #civicduty #painintheass
Starting a new puzzle with Griffin. It's been a wh Starting a new puzzle with Griffin. It's been a while since we've had one out. A perfect chilly day activity. #jigsawpuzzle #puzzle #familytime #vangogh
It's World Mental Health Day. I've been very trans It's World Mental Health Day. I've been very transparent with my own struggles, because ending the stigma is vital. And if you ever need an ear to listen or a shoulder to cry on, know that I'm here. ❤️ #worldmentalhealthday2025 #mentalhealth #endthestigma #anxiety #depression
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© 2026 Jennifer Parke-Marriner
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