








Work travel. A bout of shingles. 19 years of marriage. House projects. Swim and cross country season practices. Swim meets. More house projects. A return to public masking and outdoor dining (for our family). One school requiring masking. Another not. Frustration. Resignation. Exhaustion. High school orientation and back to school this week. Kids that drive me bonkers. Kids that make me proud. The same two kids, usually within minutes. Dentist and doctor appointments. More of those than I’d like. Endless laundry and to do lists. Tears. Every. Single. Day. Laughter. Every. Single. Day.
In the gardens, we pulled the pumpkins not fully ripe, because they needed to be rescued from vine borer. The melons never grew fat and plump but were so sweet and juicy that we didn’t even take a picture before we devoured them. This year has provided an overabundance of tomatoes and peppers which Peter Rabbit obviously doesn’t like. A bed nasturtium and marigold is all that remains of what was to be a bed of broccoli, beans, and beets. He also managed to eat every single carrot. I never thought I could hate a palm-sized bun with such ferocity, but I could have smashed that baby rabbit with a shovel and felt no guilt. (I didn’t, however, because other people were not as ferocious feeling and that’s why we have no beets, broccoli, beans, or carrots.) On a happier note: those baby bells? I think they were my favorite thing to come out of the garden. I’m sure they’re a complete waste of garden real estate if you’re gardening to really feed a family, but in my little hobby garden they bring so much joy.
We bought a 25 dollar bookcase and some peel and stick wallpaper (which I can officially confirm is contact paper charging a premium for a pretty design) and I love how it turned out. V loves having a bookcase in their room and that peperomia obtusifolia plant deserves awards. It arrived during one of the coldest weeks in January (2020) and was an absolute frozen then thawed again mess. We cut it down to the very base of the stem and crossed our fingers. It bounced back while being horribly neglected.
Okay, so let’s talk some things:
Knitting: I’m just about finished with Jesse’s socks and then I’ll be knitting this hat from a kit I purchased a few months back. Just in time for the fall.
Reading: I just finished The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. It took me a while. I started. Fell asleep. Forgot about it. Started again a few weeks later. Got hooked and absolutely loved it. You know how some books just hit at the right time? This was one of those for me. I don’t know what is next in terms of novels. This article on Facebook’s tracking information even when you don’t have an account just smacked me upside the head (need a Washington Post subscription to view, I think). Lots of things I want to put in a Friday Finds post but that won’t happen until we are well into the swing of school things.
Watching: The most recent season of RHOBH (I bought a season pass because I don’t have cable and it’s been absolutely worth it), Violet and I watched Enola Holmes (Netflix) and really liked it. Ted Lasso (Apple TV) and Roy Kent always and forever (I’m pretty sure that is the most favorite of all my favorite TV shows.)
Making: Order out of the chaos that is my new office set up. Plans for my first ever yard sale this fall. In the kitchen: this and this are both on the menu. Having kids in sports means they are always famished and I’m always time crunched. This rice and beans recipe is another time crunch favorite.
So that’s me. What are you -ing this almost September? Hope you are well and staying healthy.
Xoxo.