I did it. Just before nine pm on the last day of the month, I finished my seventh book.

When I started this, I thought that I was finishing three books previously begun, and four new ones. I had forgotten that I had oped this, one of the three, back in late 2020, but read one page of the introduction, and set it aside. Whoops.

It was because it was uninteresting. It was. It was just a dense book on Yale University’s press, and I thought I would read others first.

In nine informative and sly chapters, the author details the great scourges of Victorian London, one by one. Dust, dirty water, shit, cholera, dead bodies, dirty poor, public urination, unsafe dwellings, and all of the goddamned soot. Basically, some of my favorite things. Especially interesting to me was to tie some of the issues to the Tambora eruption that I read about in my fifth book of the month. Also, I became acquainted with the term 'cottaging’.

February draws to a close, and I accomplished my goals. Yoga every day, finishing seven books, and abstaining from cannabis. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t counting the hours until midnight, when I can pack a bowl. Moderation in all things, especially moderation.

Next month I continue my daily yoga, and I plan to send two post cards every day. Send me a message if you’d like to receive one. Also, please consider honoring these challenges by donating to First Descents, to provide life-changing outdoor adventures to young people impacted by cancer.