Reading/Cleaning Update: Feb 2026

UPDATE:

1. I have been MIA during February!
2. I watched SO many Olympic events…and had no time left to read!
3. I now have to get my reading  and my bookcase organised,
4. check on the ongoing book challenges ...that I have neglected, mea culpa.

READING:  FEBRUARY 2026 

1. Dr Faustus – T. Mann – REVIEW  #Classic
2. 9 Times My work has bee ripped Off – R. Biesinger (NF) (Canadian Challenge) – REVIEW
3. The Selected Works of C. Pavese – (novella) – REVIEW
4. A Spy In Rome – P. Tompkins (NF) – REVIEW
5. The Looking Glass War – J. Le Carré  (Cloak & Dagger) – READ
6. The New Gilded Aged – Editor D. Remick – REVIEW
7. EyeMinded – K. Jones  #BHM  – READING (…almost finished 37 essays!
8. Toni at Random – D. Williams  #BHM  – REVIEW
9. Ferragus – Balzac  – READING (…I have to get back into French reading mode….)
10. Africa is Not a Country – Dipo Flayon  #BHM  – REVIEW
11. Nine Stories – J.D. Salinger  – READING (…almost finished 3 more stories!)

SPRING CLEANING:

1. I used this handy “check list” and watch way too many videos on Instagram about
2. …cleaning your house, how to do it efficiently and  more importantly 
3. …how to STEWARD IT! (thank you Jinjer, Intrepid Angeleno for your post!)
4. That was a new concept for me because I am a “irregular deep cleaner”!
5. I clean when the cats start compiling about the mess!
6. So I’ve follow the “golden rule” = get stuff OFF the floor….put everything in its right place.
7. I decluttered drawers, kitchen cabinets and clothes closets
8. I cleaned and defrosted the fridge and freezer. (…what a job!) and 
9. …invested handy storage containers to keep the fridge organised.
10. So what is the plan now,…to keep the house clean?
11. 1 x per week – I do a big clean = 2 bathrooms, kitchen floors/cabinets,
12. …vacuum, dust and clean up the living room and declutter bookcases
13. ...bedroom: clean sheets, vacuum.
14. Daily:  bedroom windows open….let fresh air in…and make the bed 
15. dishwasher, clean countertops,  laundry check, cat litter box,
16. bathroom: wipe sink/mirror, swish toilet, restock towels.

LESSON LEARNED

1. ….learning to steward one’s home
2. =  learning to manage and care for it well
3. …not simply ….. cleaned it once.