After all of the commotion in the past month (sister with a stroke, staging and putting the house on the market, and more), I’ve declared February to be me month. Don’t bother to look on the calendar. It’s not there. They’ll still tell you that Tuesday was Groundhog’s Day and this is black history month. But on my calendar it’s time for me to relax and enjoy for a bit.

Tonight I did laundry and read a book. Nothing too special, but it was a pleasant change to pick up a book from the shelves and read for pleasure. At the moment, my research is causing me to read 150 books by Erle Stanley Gardner, but a good Elizabeth Peters did me good, like a day at the spa. I’ve had a nice cup of hot tea and I’m ready to watch it rain, sleet, snow and whatever is in store for this weekend.

I needed to recharge. I came down with a cold after all of the misery of the past month. I think that was my body’s way of telling me to slow down. And I’m listening. I hadn’t written much this month, because of all the stress and now I’m feeling ready again. My research assistant sent me 20 pages of information about the Perry Mason Radio show, which I need to weave into my narrative of the 1940s.

I encourage all of you to take a day (or month) to relax. It’s definitely worth your time. I hope to be able to tell a good story next week about family and Facebook — Jeff