Yes. That is snow. We have close to 2 inches as I’m typing this and we’ll have 4-6 before it’s over (at least according to the weatherman.) I’m hearing some people grumble that it’s too soon, but it’s the near-end of October. We had a great fall, a glorious summer, and a long and early spring. I have zero complaints. I simply refuse to believe in bad weather this year (outside of natural disasters) and am looking forward to snowpants, warm beverages, and bonfires.

I know I’ve been quiet this last month. I haven’t had the words. I’ve only had feelings. All of them. All smooshed together in a ball that won’t be parsed.

Knitting: I made a scarf. I loved how it turned out. It somehow ended up in the washing machine and is now some very lovely felted wool. I have no idea what I’m going to do with it. Felt it more and make mittens? Currently, I’m working on this scarf and a pair of vanilla socks. Then a fern pair or maybe these pop radio. They luck so fun!

Watching: I’ve been watching the “America: The Story of Us” with Violet on Prime. (I stole a friend’s idea and started doing “Documentary Wednesday” with her.) The Duchess on Netflix per friend recommendations (I both loved and loathed it) and Emily in Paris which I thought was a sweet (but adult) cotton candy of a show. I purchased and binged the first season of A Discovery of Witches (I’ve been knitting a lot, don’t judge) and absolutely loved it. It made me want to reread the books.

Reading: I’m still reading Caste because it’s heavy and it makes my heart hurt and I have to put it down and take breaks. I also find myself recommending it to everyone. I’ve also recently read Anxious People by Fredrik Backman and it was such a good book. Violet stole The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue before I could get to it and she says it’s really good so that may be next but I just picked up an order from my local bookstore and Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls is calling out to me. After being in a slump where nothing sounded worth reading, I’m glad to be feeling the pull of books.

Making: Not a whole lot. Plans for next year’s garden and how I can expand it. I was baking my feelings for a bit but got out of the habit of that. I’ve been volunteering for two hours a week for a local political organization because action is the antidote to despair. I answer phones, make signs, write postcards and talk to neighbors in the hopes that we will have a flawed but mostly decent human being as President again.

So that’s me. What have you been reading, watching, making, and whatever other -ing you want to share?

And lastly, if you happen to be in the US and are eligible to vote and haven’t already, please make sure to vote. And wash your hands, and wear a mask, and be kind to each other out there.

1. Funny animal photos.
2. Prince as pulp fiction covers.
3. Time to kick the coffee habit?
4. I’m working on being more present.
5. This is one of my newest favorite finds.
6. Preventing megafires.
7. Good news for all of my friends who decided to get puppies recently.
8. Vanity plates.
9. Covid-19 etiquette.
10. An overstuffed bookcase can be a good thing?
11. Clear it out.
12. I’m still not eating at a restaurant.
13. Kind of excited to see how the Emmy’s work.
14. Derpy animal art.
15. Vicarious grief for you children?
16. Queen Elizabeth is witty.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

It’s only Tuesday and I’m spent. I was supposed to meet a friend for a walk and coffee this morning and ended up spending most of my day troubleshooting technology issues that still haven’t quite been solved. Every day I go to bed thinking “Now that I’ve got that all figured, tomorrow we’ll be able to really start getting into our groove.” but when tomorrow arrives there is always some new problem to be solved. (As I typed that all out, I realized that sounds a lot like…life.)

The garden produced one small zucchini, so many tomatoes, delicious green beans and peas, some peppers, and small but tasty carrots. We also had one under-ripe and one really delicious melon (Abram and I sat at the counter and ate the whole thing in about ten minutes), some lovely lettuces and a few radishes and a couple of broccoli that weren’t anything special. My fava beans and onions were a complete bust. I learned that I liked gardening, that squash vine borer is a disaster of a pest, that I’m going to try trellising tomatoes instead of using cages, that I should wear long sleeves and gloves when weeding, and that if I’m going to make dilly beans I really need to plant more because they really don’t even make it into the kitchen before I eat them. I have lots of ideas for next year and I’m still sending Jesse zillow listings for land.

Abram had his first cross country meet this weekend. It was a doozy of a course and after it was all over he said he’s looking forward to track, but he’ll be signing up for soccer next fall.

Knitting: Same as last week.

Watching: I watched The Founder this last week and to say that there was a lot I didn’t know about how McDonald’s became McDonald’s is an understatement. It makes me wonder how different the world would be if Ray Kroc had never met the McDonald brothers. Last night I continued my 90’s-00’s movie-a-thon with Turner and Hooch (it’s ’89, but close enough). On my list to watch: America The Story of Us. My friend is doing “documentary Wednesday” with her son and I’m thinking of adopting it as well.

Reading: Atomic Habits, Why I’m Not Talking to White People About Race, Anxious People, Caste are all in rotation right now. It’s ridiculous. I am not good with reading multiple books at the same time.

Making: Progress. I didn’t get my children’s books sorted. I did get a box for the books to be donated which is miserable progress but progress all the same. This week I’ll make some more.

So that’s me. I’m hanging in there and hope you are as well. Please let me know what you are reading, watching, listening, making, or whatever -ing you feel like sharing!

My goal for this week is to cull the children’s bookcase. Elmer and Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse haven’t been in demand for years and despite priding myself on my non-attachment to things, I’ve been postponing this job for over a year. We need the space. I’m sharing it here to help hold me accountable.

Schools in our area started this week. Violet’s middle school held three days of in person classes (she’s enrolled in their virtual option) and by the end of Friday we’d already received a notice that there had been a case resulting in a 14 day quarantine of close contacts. Abram’s school is still planning on playing football this fall (he’s also enrolled in a virtual option). I still sometimes catch myself thinking “maybe it’ll all just go away and things will be back to normal by October.”

The garden is a tangled mess. I still have a few things ripening and waiting to be harvested but most everything is winding down. I ordered some seed catalogs for this winter and we have plans for putting it in additional beds. I find myself daydreaming about buying some land south of town and having some egg chickens and meat chickens and a root cellar and a giant garden. If you had told 18 year old me (heck, 28 year old me) that at 42 my biggest dream would be 40 acres with a creek running through it, I would never have believed you. I’m amazed at all the ways I’ve changed, and all the ways I’ve stayed the same, as I’ve grown older.

Knitting: I’m still working on this scarf. After which I will be working on this scarf. I also need to cast on some socks to mix it up.

Reading: I’ve been in this horrible loop with the Jennifer Weiner book where I didn’t want to read it because I didn’t like it, but I didn’t want to move on because I worried that it might get better, but I couldn’t make myself actually pick it up to find out if would get better. I decided that I would re-read Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge and when I’ve finished that I can pick up a different “puff” book.

Watching: The Big Bang Theory and cheesy 90-00’s rom coms.

Making: an effort to get me out of this angry, bitter funk I’m in. I set screen limits and had Jesse set the passcode so I couldn’t just override it, started writing weekly intention lists in my bullet journal again (and checking them off). And with temperatures moving decisively into fall this week, I’m making a big pot of chili and this soup (with the kale I preserved earlier this summer).


I hope you are all doing well and staying healthy (and wearing your masks)! Let me know what you are -ing this week and any other news you care to share.

1. The architecture of bees.
2. Willpower is not enough. (I am so feeling this right now.)
3. We have risk backward.
4. What I expected in adulthood.
5. I am so hopeful.
6. What liberals got wrong about work.
7. My friends and I agree.
8. These things aren’t rude.
9. Bill Murray’s face in classic paintings makes me happy.
10. I’m Aaron Burr. (“I am inimitable. I am an original.”)
11. I don’t know how I feel about this article.
12. This is the content I need right now.
13. Adding a few of these to the TBR pile.
14. What are your thoughts on culling your book collection?
15. A list of podcasts. (I bought the song from Busy Philipps because it’s cute.)
16. Feminism reads. (A few more for the TBR pile.)
17. Just pretty.
18. A litany for survival. (This was a powerful read.)
19. Only 37 possible stories?
20. I’m a people pleaser that struggles putting my needs first. (True.)
21. Yeah. Please no.
22. This looks so good to me and so does this.
23. Have a happy Labor Day weekend!!

Seriously, have a good weekend.