Beautifully Irrational

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/03/longer-together-than-apart/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40206

It occurred to me this week that if we were about to celebrate our 25th anniversary, and I met Josh when I was 25, and we dated for a while before getting married, that at some point in the past year or so, I moved over the boundary between being together with Josh longer than […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/03/longer-together-than-apart/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40206

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/03/1079th-friday-blog-roundup/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40214

Remember how I told you that Quentin was burying and urinating on the pea flakes to show me how much he hated them, and then he was grudgingly taking them and unenthusiastically eating them? He has catapulted past gusto into frenzy. He now stands and watches me move through the room (it’s a little unnerving, […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/03/1079th-friday-blog-roundup/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40214

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/03/double-duty/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40204

I read a fascinating article on the BBC about delivery people who serve almost as default social workers, checking in on people as they bring yogurt to people’s homes. On paper they’re delivery workers, but in practice they’re part of the country’s informal social safety net. In a country grappling with a rapidly ageing population […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/03/double-duty/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40204

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/03/licorice/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40200

It took five days, but he is now grudgingly eating the pea flakes. He has silently promised me that he will never, ever perform a trick for one, but he will take it in his mouth and chew it instead of dropping it on the ground. It’s a small step forward in getting rid of […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/03/licorice/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40200

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/03/microblog-monday-578-tiny-land/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40202

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too. ******* I have a game… of course, I have a game. I always have a game. But this game has a lot of replay. With Habitat, you get a tiny land with trees, wheat, and bear-like […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/03/microblog-monday-578-tiny-land/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40202

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/03/small-gifts/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40181

We had a stranger do something super kind for us, and they live in another country. I had the thought that we should bring them a gift, something they couldn’t get in their country. But as I thought about it, I realized that I couldn’t think of anything that wasn’t super niche and therefore probably […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/03/small-gifts/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40181

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/03/1078th-friday-blog-roundup/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40193

If you peruse the “guinea pig tricks” online forums as I do because MY PIG IS A BRILLIANT, PUZZLE-SOLVING MACHINE, you know that pea flakes are one of the tools you use to train your pig to be an adorable, curious, trick-performing lump of pure love. Pea flakes are dehydrated, flat peas, and other guinea […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/03/1078th-friday-blog-roundup/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40193

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/03/when-i-turned-50/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40173

I saw this on Modern Mrs. Darcy, and it spoke to my heart. It was about setting a ritual for turning 50. The question asker made the assumption that people aren’t enthusiastic about turning 50, which isn’t true. I feel like there are a lot more “how did I get here?” moments around turning 40. […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/03/when-i-turned-50/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40173

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/03/best-books-of-february-7/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40179

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/2026/03/best-books-of-february-7/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40179

Posted by Mel

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/03/microblog-monday-576-peaklet/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40170

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too. ******* Peaklet is a game you play AND contribute to. Each day, you get an opinion or a factual question with many possible answers. For instance, what are the longest books in this list? And then […]

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/2026/03/microblog-monday-576-peaklet/

https://www.stirrup-queens.com/?p=40170