Today is Election Day. I’m living in a town with some of the fastest growing COVID-19 infection rates in the nation (adjusted for population). I’m so lonely I could just absolutely bawl (have bawled). It’s Tuesday so let’s talk things.

Molly is not allowed on the furniture because those are the rules. Molly gives exactly zero figs for those rules. And she’s letting us know. Speaking of rules, I’m a firm believer in Christmas decorations not coming out until after Thanksgiving. Except for this year. This year, I am bringing out all the twinkle lights, piles of cozy winter quilts, and every ounce of jingle-jangle-holiday-merry I can find. Because I need it. (I commissioned someone to make me that winter quilt and it arrived, along with a cozy throw pillow gift, this week.)

Playing Yeti in Spaghetti with Abram made me really want a set of old fashioned pick-up-sticks.

I broke my yarn diet. I get one skein of gorgeously dyed sock yarn every month from The Sleeping Bear Yarn Club (which has been a present to myself every year for the last 5 years) and that’s all I’ve been allowing myself. Recently, it came out that Hobby Lobby (those bastions of Christianity) has been stealing/copying color ways from one of my favorite indie dyers and so I decided to purchase a few extra skeins. I need to knit faster.

Knitting: I’m still working on the scarf and the socks. I’m almost done with the second sock. The scarf is languishing.

Reading: I finished Caste. The most frustrating part about recommending this book is that the people who most need to read it are the ones least likely to bother. It’s hard and uncomfortable and important. Now I have to decided between Tribe of Fatherless Girls and Addie LaRue.

Watching: Violet and I celebrated Halloween with a viewing of The Poltergeist. Feeling overwhelmed and frustrated with the whole world and in need of mindless crap, I watched Holidate. It fit the bill. Has anyone watched Ratched? I can’t decide if I want to. I need something, but I want cotton candy.

Listening: Nice White Parents. a mellow happy little fall playlist, and my dance it out song right now.

Making: Kari’s romance waffles. A list of winter projects. And Christmas presents.

So that’s me. What are you -ing? Wishing you a safe and healthy and week!

After talking about the stubbornness of joy, I hit a patch where I needed to use all my energy in the seeking of it (or in the creating of it). We’ve had a rough couple of weeks and as the start of school looms closer, I expect we’ll have even more bumps. When my kids tell me it sucks and they hate it, I can only offer commiseration and a shrug, “It does suck. I hate it too. But we can get through it. We will get through it.”

I have two middle schoolers. We made the decision to enroll them in an all virtual option. As of right now, I’m the only one I know who has made that choice. I worry I made the wrong one. But without a right one, how can there be a wrong one?

I could write 100,000 words about the swirling dervish of worries that eat up my day, but no one is here for that. Let’s talk things.

My neighbors have been getting visitors from a little buck. I can never get a good picture of him, but I try.

Jesse drove me over that bridge when we were dating and I still have nightmares about it. (This is not an exaggeration) It’s closed now but it used to have these wooden planks that you had to keep your tires on and it was just…not a fun bridge for someone who has a fear of bridges. If past lives are real, I most certainly died on a bridge because I HATE them.

The garden still brings me great joy. We have so many tomatoes and the broccoli is just beginning to get florets and I’m hoping I can keep the worms from them. I squashed 14 and eight eggs (I like to keep count) during my morning visit yesterday. The second squash attempt has managed to avoid vine borer but is getting powdery mildew. I hope I can keep it at bay enough to get some squash. I don’t know what I’ve done wrong with my fava beans but I’m getting absolutely no beans at all. I try not to be cranky when things don’t turn out. It’s my first year; I’m learning.

Reading: Little Faith by Nickolas Butler (★★★★☆), Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (★★★★☆), Topics of Conversation by Miranda Popkey (★★☆☆☆), The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager (★★★★☆), Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (reread), and Untamed by Glennon Doyle (★★☆☆☆). The Last Time I Lied is the perfect davenport with an ice cream sandwich summer read. Maybe not for reading alone at a cabin late at night. Such a Fun Age is timely and I thought really well done. Glennon Doyle is not my cup of tea, but this book was having a moment, a lot of people I love were reading it, I couldn’t let go of my FOMO and read it. It’s Glennon. If you like her, you’ll like this. If you don’t, you’re probably like me and will take away a few pearls but also roll your eyes a lot.

Watching: We watched Jurassic Park (the original one) last Friday and I watched Contagion one evening which sounds like a terrible idea but wasn’t. I’m a couple of episodes into Hollywood. I love the intro and Jim Parsons. His character is so horrid and he plays him so well.

Knitting: I have about twenty rows left before I’m on the toe of the same socks I’ve been working on forever. I don’t feel like knitting lately.

Making: an effort to do something besides stare at screens. I purchased a state park sticker and we’ve been going around to semi-local state parks and hiking.

My sourdough starter is hanging out in the back of the fridge. At this point I think I’m just waiting to see what happens to a sourdough starter that is neglected beyond all recognition.

I tried to grow butterflies from swallowtail caterpillars I found on my dill and parsley. I got them a home, but they pooped all over it and after cleaning it out a few times I decided that was stupid so I just added extra parsley and dill to their salad bar but now they are gone. I see no signs of chrysalis anywhere so I think birds got them.

So that’s me. How are you hanging in there? What are you -ing?

Short and sweet (and late) this week because I’m sharing my work station. My co-worker likes to leave math worksheets all over the desk. (But also brings me Jolly Ranchers from time to time.)

Knitting: Zauberball socks.

Watching: I’m two episodes into Virgin Creek. It’s on Netflix and I think it’s kind of like a Hallmark movie in episode form? My brother is recommending It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and a good friend of mine sent a list of her favorite 80’s-90’s movies that I’m going to have to get started on.

Reading: I’ve read The Naturals (which is kind of like a YA version of Criminal Minds) and The Last Mrs. Parrish this week. I loathed The Last Mrs. Parrish. I’m so annoyed that I forced myself to finish.

Making: We ordered some fabric from our local quilt shop to make homemade masks. I hate sewing (but I like the ironing and cutting and prep stuff) so I told Jesse I’d get everything ready if he actually sewed them. We’ll see how it goes. The kids are also working on an art project and I can’t wait to show you once we’re done.

I hope you are healthy and safe. The weather here is really wonderful and I’m so grateful for that. What are you making, reading, watching? I’m DEFINITELY in the market for suggestions.