I couldn’t manage a Tuesday Things this week, but I wanted to say hello, so here I am! Hello!!!!
We’ve had one fall day with all the windows open and breeze blowing and I roasted tomatoes. The 400° oven didn’t trigger rivers of sweat and the kids put on sweatshirts and it was glorious. The very next day, the summer temperatures returned.
The renovation continues. Some days are full of progress and ceaseless banging. Other days the project is stalled for one reason or another. I’m trying to be grateful for the peace when it’s here and the progress when it isn’t.
I don’t have a ton of things but let’s talk the ones I do.
Reading: The Good-Enough Life by Avram Alpert and A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson.
Watching: I started watching Pieces of a Woman (Netflix) but had to pause it. I need the house to myself to watch because it’s good, but hard. Head of the Class (HBO). Only about three episodes. I loved it when I was younger. Untold (Netflix) – I’ve watched The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist, Operation Flagrant Foul, and The Rise and Fall of And1. I’m not a sports person really, but I find these stories fascinating.
Knitting: I have a pair of socks due for a birthday that are not going to be done in time. (I have just a little bit of the gusset and foot to go, so it should have been doable but LIFE).
Making: Lots of garden stuff – notes for next year, preserving tomatoes and green beans, putting up onions and wishing I had a root cellar. Potatoes will be dug up in the next couple of weeks and I’ll put in the garlic. We also have some rye ground cover to plant in our larger plot for overwinter. My brother got me this book and I can’t wait to cross stitch my Stardew farm! (I did promise my brother I would do his first though.)
So that’s me. Drop a line and let me know about how you are doing!
Hello, Kate!
Glad to see you’re doing well. Those tomatoes look amazing! It sounds like you had a successful gardening season, which is great. We have a lot of tomatoes and kale, but that’s about it—I’m hoping I can do a better job at tending our garden next year.
How are you enjoying the Good-Enough Life? I’ve been reading A Brief History of Thought by Luc Ferry because I wanted to understand more of philosophy, but although it’s billed as being for “everyman”, I am having difficulty with the language and the sentence construction. I’ll probably get to the end and not feel like I understand much more than when I began!
I’m mostly doing sock knitting too. My latest non-sock project is now too big to have on my lap in this heat, so I’ll have to wait until it cools down. I’m so looking forward to sweater season!
Tomatoes and kale sound like a good garden season to me. I had some things do well (beans, tomatoes FINALLY!!) and other things that floundered (peppers, melon, squash) but I just don’t talk about that as much!!!
I’m looking forward to bigger project knitting as well, though I’d like to keep a goal of one pair a month. Abram doesn’t have any (his feet are growing too fast!!) and Jesse doesn’t have a pair without mends so that should get the numbers where they’re supposed to be!
In terms of reading philosophy, I firmly believe it’s either a long con or far too esoteric for me. Either seem just as likely as the other. I took an intro course in uni and got a good grade but it always seemed….pointless. I could regurgitate it but I didn’t GET it. You feeling like you understand not much more than when you started seems…normal? (Or at least that’s how I always felt.) But to your question, I’m liking The Good-Enough Life. I’m only about three chapters in but it feels hopeful without being naive. I have thought of you often in reading it.
It’s good to hear from you, as always, Marian!!
Austin Kleon must have heard us – he just shared this in his Friday post “ At the very least, most philosophy books are for bringing about drowsiness and a resulting nap.” 😜
Ha!
The thought of you having open windows and roasting tomatoes made me both happy and melancholy. This year, I am really eager for fall.
We also saw The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist. It was fascinating.
This week, I am grateful for two of your posts. ❤️
I missed this when you posted but glad I found it now!! We’re definitely moving toward fall. At least the sky says so – it’s dark so early that I’m in jams by 8:30-9
That is the prettiest darn pan of roasted tomatoes that I’ve ever seen. My only thing of interest this week is I made us Aperol Spritzes and now I think I may need to restrain myself because I don’t know when an alcoholic beverage has tasted this good to me. I could drink them all day long… but I won’t.
I have never had one, but feel that way about Brandy Old Fashioneds (but only in the wintertime). Those kind of drinks are dangerous.
I am going to try the tomato sauce this weekend! Have been visiting my parents the past few days, so I had to put that on hold. Was SO nice to head north to Puget Sound and soak in some cooler weather. Marine air for the win. I’m late to the party (as always), but I’ve just started watching Only Murders in the Building. Sort of tried it when it came out, but decided within 6 minutes that I didn’t like it. Tried again, and I really liked it. Which goes to show that what’s right or wrong for us can change. Love your photos and so glad to hear what you’ve been up to.
I’m so glad you got to go and visit your parents and enjoy a little bit of home.
I started OMITB but it fizzled for me part way through and I never did finish it. Maybe I’ll revisit because you’re right – some times what’s right or wrong changes!
Hope you like the sauce as much as I did!
I have only seen one full episode of OMITB, so…there’s that. 🙂