Beautifully Irrational

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/02/doing-scary-things/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40098

We went out to visit the kids last weekend. Winter always carries the fear that the weather will cancel the trip, but we ended up with sun and warm enough weather. You could go for a walk in the afternoon without freezing. My cousin ended up in a town about an hour and a half […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/02/doing-scary-things/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40098

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/02/1074th-friday-blog-roundup/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40109

Every afternoon or evening, I walk indoors and watch 20 minutes of The Crown. I’ve been doing this since the beginning of the pandemic, though it hasn’t always been The Crown on a continual loop. I’ve watched muted first-person walking videos on YouTube and listened to audiobooks. I’ve watched documentaries. But for the most part, […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/02/1074th-friday-blog-roundup/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40109

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/02/netflix-for-books/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40095

I know Kindle Unlimited exists, but it often doesn’t have the books I want. I also know the library exists, but it has long wait times. So why doesn’t a Netflix, Hulu, and HBO for books exist? As in, each publisher has a streaming service that allows you to access their entire catalog on demand, […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/02/netflix-for-books/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40095

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/02/mental-sampler-41/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40092

I kept taking The Satsuma Complex on and off my to-read list. I couldn’t decide whether or not I liked Bob Mortimer’s comedy or whether I wanted to read a comedic book at all. But I saw Bob on Last One Laughing, and while he didn’t make me laugh like Joe Wilkinson or Richard Ayoade, […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/02/mental-sampler-41/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40092

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/02/microblog-monday-573-everything-you-own-is-pre-trash/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40080

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too. ******* I had a thought while I was making dinner: That everything I purchase, everything I bring into my home, is pre-trash. It may be trash within the same day. I bought the box of pasta, […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/02/microblog-monday-573-everything-you-own-is-pre-trash/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40080

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/02/best-books-of-january-7/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40073

As I say every month, I’m shamelessly stealing this idea from Jessica Lahey. She has a recurring monthly date where she reviews all the books she reads that month. Book reviews are important for authors, and I want to get better at doing this. So. I’m going to review them here and also online, but […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/02/best-books-of-january-7/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40073

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/02/1073rd-friday-blog-roundup/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40084

Back in elementary school, the kids had to fill out a Valentine’s Day card for everyone in their class. Each kid also decorated a box, and then, before the classroom party, they would walk around and deliver their Valentine’s to each other by dropping it in the other person’s box. Choosing your Valentine’s Day card […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/02/1073rd-friday-blog-roundup/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40084

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/02/the-mini-page/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40071

Speaking of the newspaper, did your local newspaper syndicate The Mini Page? Ours was housed in the Style section, and it was an insert that came out for kids to read on the weekend while the parents read the main newspaper. I loved finding the word “mini” in the Mini Spy, and I shuddered as […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/02/the-mini-page/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40071

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/02/gutting-of-the-washington-post/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40068

I know a lot of people in the world are sad about the massive firings at the Washington Post, which follows on the heels of the closing of the Kennedy Center for two years (to likely have everything memorable about the building destroyed), which follows on the heels of the destruction of the East Wing. […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/02/gutting-of-the-washington-post/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40068

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/02/microblog-monday-572-cost-of-travel/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40041

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too. ******* The kids have a week off where they align this summer, and I thought it would be fun for all of us to go to Venice. I got out the journal I kept the last […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/02/microblog-monday-572-cost-of-travel/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40041