March 2026 Wrap-Up

March felt like it was full of just the daily grind into busy weekends. There were after school practices, various medical appointments, a vet appointment, gymnastics, and the first mowing of the season. On the weekends there was cleaning, three game days, the new Pixar movie, Hoppers, a birthday party, and I Love Smyrna School District day where Ben had a chorus performance. In anticipation for a busy final week of the month/first week of April, I took a rare Friday off to allow us to have a quiet final weekend before we spend this upcoming weekend in Syracuse for Easter.

With the weather starting to get nicer, the kids got out on their new scooters and I set up the basketball hoop we got them for Christmas. Earlier in the month I found some time to update my "top 10" board games list which hadn't been done in six and half years. It was a fun exercise and post to write and has spurred me to revisit some old favorites, some of which stayed on the list while others dropped off. Speaking of dropping off, there's no Reading Ramble segment in this post because I haven't cracked into a new book or anything else yet. Hoping to get back to it in April.

Blah Blog Log

Had two posts in March: the February Wrap-Up post and an update to my "top 10" board games list.

Bored Board Games

March had 19 games played a total of 75 times, with 46 plays of Star Realms leading the charge after I wrote about it in my My Top 5 Board Games (x3) Part Deux update. I've now played it 1601 times and still love it every time I open the app. The 100 Games 100 Plays List had a new addition after a couple of plays of 7 Wonders: Architects, bringing the total to 30 games.

I was able to sell a few games and have many more listed as a part of actually curating my collection down (and making room because the shelves are full with the For Trade games removed). Of course I say that but I should also add that 4 games did get added using some of the funds from selling. I was able to add three games that I really enjoy (Rebirth, Castle Combo, and Flip 7) and one that I've wanted to try for a very long time. That game is this month's highlighted game: Through the Desert.

Through the Desert, originally published in 1998, recently had a reprint by Allplay to give this well loved classic game by Reiner Knizia a chance to be played by new gamers. From BGG: "In Through the Desert, two to five players each control a tribe of nomads vying for control of the desert. By establishing caravans and taking over oases, the players gain points as their tribes increase in power. Strategy is essential in deciding how and where to build your tribe's caravans. There are multiple ways to gain points and several ways to win. Should you try to build the longest caravan? Or should you dominate the desert's oases? Don't forget to keep an eye on your opponents' caravans, or you may find your own tribe cut off from valuable water holes."

I've played one three player game and really enjoyed the straightforward and strategic gameplay. While I was busy trying to cut off the other players to reach the oasis spaces, another was carving out large areas of tiles that propelled him to victory during end game scoring. I look forward to many more plays of this and can't wait to try the map on the other side of the board that adds some new wrinkles in scoring and is a little more open.

Enjoyable Eats

After seeing the Hoppers movie, we stopped at Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, a new fast food restaurant that opened a location in Middletown near the theater. It reminded me of a mix of Shake Shack and Chick-Fil-A in being higher quality and having better customer services than a McDonald's or Burger King. I'm not a big burger guy but wanted to try one instead of some of their other menu options since that's what they are known for. Christine, Grace, and I thought they were good but not amazing. James really liked it, sans the pickles. The real all-stars of the meal were the fries and custard that we just had to try. I don't think I'd go out of my way to eat there but would definitely spend the extra money over going to the big 3. 

I'm Watching 👀

We're always looking for short 20is minute shows to watch before bed and recently finished the second season of Animal Control. We've always been fans of Joel McHale so we decided to give this a shot and have been enjoying it. The show follows a group of municipal animal control workers in Seattle and while it isn't the best sitcom of all time, it does have some laugh out loud moments. Like The Office and Parks and Rec, the fact that they work for Animal Control is just medium for relationships and relatable every day life happenings.

Whatcha Snackin?

Another great Aldi find were these cashew clusters, which are little cubes of cashews, almonds, and pumpkin seeds that are held together with cane sugar and rice syrup. The latter two items give them a light sweetness and shiny look. It's nice to have a healthy-ish snack that's not full of preservatives and unnecessary dyes and fillers.

Wrap It Up

Please comment below with any thoughts or comments on anything I've covered. Thanks for reading!







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