Christmas of 2022 should have been a peaceful, cozy holiday. Instead, it turned into the year Sarah allegedly tried to take me out…with a heated blanket. Now, before anyone gets too serious, I’m pretty sure the statute of limitations is either up or close enough that I feel comfortable telling the story. But let’s just say… the evidence was compelling.

You have to understand the environment first. Sarah keeps the house so cold in the winter (or year around really) that stepping inside feels like entering a refrigerated warehouse. I’m talking breath-visible, “Spare some of your heat, mister?” kind of cold. So when I opened a heated blanket that Christmas, I thought she was finally showing mercy. A peace offering. A way to restore circulation to my hands and feet.

At first, nothing seemed off. It actually took a while before things started adding up. The blanket wasn’t immediately suspicious, just aggressively warm at times. But then the recall email hit, and everything clicked. All those moments of adjusting it and wondering why it felt like I was being slow-roasted suddenly made sense. Turns out, the blanket had been recalled for being a fire hazard, which really pulls the whole experience together.

Now, Sarah insists she had no idea, and legally speaking, she’s probably in the clear. But every Christmas since, I open her gifts with just a little hesitation. Because once you’ve nearly been taken out by a defective heated blanket, you start to question things. Mostly your thermostat….

Fast forward to 2026, and while I survived the heated blanket incident, I’ve now entered a different kind of battle…weight loss. I’m down 8 pounds so far this year, which is progress, but it hasn’t exactly been a straight line. More like two steps forward, one step back… occasionally followed by a snack I didn’t need. Still, with spring finally showing up, I’m looking forward to getting outside more…walking, hiking, and actually enjoying the fresh air instead of just trying to survive the temperature inside my own house.

I don’t read a lot of fiction, but I’ve got to make an exception here: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. If you live in Southwest Virginia, this one hits different. It’s one of those books that feels a little too real at times, like you know the people, the places, the stories. I’m not even going to try and review it or overthink it. Just trust me on this one: read it!

Now, that said, most of what I’ve been working through lately leans a little more into business, mindset, and trying to stay sharp. It’s a mix of books that challenge how you think, how you operate, and how you show up every day. Here’s what’s been in the rotation lately: