2020 Project 365 – Week Thirty-nine

The world plods along. (Apparently unimportant) people die of COVID, the country feels fractured, people plan to vote for a vile human being because of unborn babies (never mind what happens to them after they’re born), RBG paved the way for a woman who may undo all of that good work… It’s hard to not be cynical, bitter, terrified, hopeless… But we are not without hope, and as I read recently, cynicism and hopelessness are actually lazy emotions that enable us to say “woe is me” without actually doing anything. But enough about the world, let’s talk about me! 

Sunday, September 20^th 

Dr. M saw this Red-Spotted Purple butterfly, which as he noted, should be named the Orange-Spotted Blue. 

Progress! I didn’t work on this at all this week, but there is just one more round to go until it’s done.

 

We had a little gathering for my dad’s birthday. You can see his wall of cards in one of the pictures. I think he had a pretty good birthday! (Not pictured, because I suck as a blogger, my sister-in-law and niece. Sheesh.)

Monday, September 21^st                              

No picture (see the aforementioned comment about being a terrible blogger).

Tuesday, September 22^nd                                                              When I had my last mammogram they saw some calcium deposits to keep an eye on, and had me come back in 6 months, which was today. It’s all still fine. 

Woo hoo!

Wednesday, September 23^rd

I posted this on FB saying that I was contemplating having it for lunch the next day & asking if it looked like a good combo. I also asked if folks thought adding cilantro would help. I was JOKING. But you know I tried it & it was really good! And cilantro would have been an excellent addition. Ha!

Thursday, September 24^th

The Bugly hit 200,000 miles! The only witnesses were a flock of sheep (and Dr. M).

Friday, September 25^th 

Baseball and crochet – a very fine Saturday night. 

Saturday, September 26^th 

Just a few of the items in this week's Misfits box. 

Also, Dr. M went to the store for syrup, dishwashing liquid, and Q-tips. 

Despite the gloom and doom at the top of the page, I’ve started feeling cautiously optimistic. Even if the election is a disaster, I still see so much good in this world. I’m going to cling to that. What is bringing you hope today?

A Tale of Woe (a Dr. M Guest Post)

Sir Pastywhite of Narra Arse oversaw the building of a Crusader stronghold on Mount Grainsofsand.

He laid his plans and executed them with a determined will. His principal labour force consisted of those who saw him as a father figure and did their best in service to him.

To be fair, he laboured mightily alongside his workers, braving the heat and elements despite his innate vulnerability to the local climate.

Castle complete, he rested in the shade and admired its beauty.

Alack, he had not counted on the Saline Horde's will to obliterate all such strongholds within its reach. Feck and alas, their castle is no more.

2020 Project 365 – Week Thirty-eight

I’m back from vacation. Heavy sigh. The good news is that I have one more day before I have to go back to work. The bad news is that Ruth Bader Ginsburg died and I am feeling gutted. What an amazing woman and advocate for the marginalized. I have too many thoughts and feelings about her passing for this fluffy blog post. I’m sure most of you feel the same way.

Dr. M took over 300 pictures, but I used amazing restraint in selecting the photos for this post. If you’d like to check out all of his photos, you can find him as @ridinthestormout59 on Instagram. Also, as you already know, I did a Wordless Wednesday with beach pics (and some of the decor from our condo). Finally, I am going to do one more beach post - a Tale of Woe (those of you who follow Dr. M on FB have already seen this). 

Sunday, September 13^th 

We left home at around 11:00 & got to the beach around 3:15 – not a bad drive! These photos are as we were driving over the causeway into Ocean Isle. 

Monday, September 14^th 

Today was a rest day. Oh who am I kidding – they were all rest days. We barely moved all week. I did get down to the beach for a brief walk and took this photo of the condo where we were staying. 

Dr. M got photos of the dune area beneath our balcony. It was a constant source of entertainment – crab, beach mice, a fox (you’ll see it’s picture later), and lots of birds. 

Tuesday, September 15^th

Scenes from our balcony. I did venture out to get pizza for dinner.

Wednesday, September 16^h                                                           

Breakfast (oatmeal, egg, cheese, mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini, & cilantro)! Actually, that was second breakfast. First breakfast was part of a huge mango, a nectarine, and a slice of leftover pizza.

I took another walk on the beach & noticed that the steps on most of the boardwalks were new. And then I noticed this one that had not been repaired. This area was hard hit by a storm in recent memory, but looks fine now. 

Thursday, September 17^th         

My dad’s birthday! I talked to him in the morning & he had received over 40 cards at that time. I’ll see him tomorrow and check them all out.

Here are more photos from the balcony. If you look closely at the one with the dog in it, there is a little dot that is two tiny dogs. I saw their owner walking them all the day before & it was hilarious to see that giant dog with its little sidekicks.

Friday, September 18^th 

Dr. M was up early and got these excellent photos of the fox! So beautiful! 

We drove home, and someone was really glad that his buddy was home. The Roy is a mess.

Saturday, September 19^th                 

Hurricane Sally’s rain band meant that we arrived home to a very lush yard. It made us smile to see all the flower activity. 

We were talking about how we had packed for “before.” Dr. M packed slacks & nice shirts, and I took three cute outfits and didn’t even glance at them, because I didn’t go shopping and we definitely didn’t eat in a restaurant! I brought them right back home & had to fluff them in the dryer because I got them wrinkled. The only reason I didn’t wear the same pair of shorts & t-shirt for the whole week was just simple habit. I switched them out mid-week. I’m sure Dr. M appreciated it, but I don’t think it was necessary. It was really nice to not feel like we had to go anywhere or do anything. I highly recommend it! How was your week?

 

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

2020 Project 365 – Week Thirty-seven

Guess what people? I am on vacation! Well, we leave tomorrow, so that means that there’s still a lot of work to do. I’ve made a list, but basically have done nothing about packing yet. (As I write this, Dr. M is packing away – if I take long enough maybe I won’t have to do anything at all! Fingers crossed!) I’m pretty excited – our last vacation was to the Outer Banks after Christmas in 2018.

Sunday, September 6^th

Spent some time with Daddy & Sue. I had put out a request on FB for friends to send cards to my dad for his 80^th birthday (it’s next week), and he had already received four! (Note: I was there today & the number was up to nine – and I know a lot of folks were aiming to get the cards there right on his birthday). Lots of fun! He’s waiting until his birthday to open the cards.

Monday, September 7^th

No picture. I helped Dr. M do some yard work and cleaned the house – appropriate for Labor Day.

Tuesday, September 8^th  

Me: I should go to bed early. Also me:

Wednesday, September 9^th

Yes, that is a baseball score you see there. What a game!

Thursday, September 10^th 

From FB: It’s Messy Bun Because We Don’t Have Water So I Haven’t Showered Since Monday day. Plumber comes tomorrow so fingers crossed! PS. I’m taking a shower tonight so quit holding your noses ya goobs. (Thanks to my sister-in-law for the use of the shower!)

Friday, September 11^th 

First of all, the leak was fixed so we have water again. Whew! Second of all, Dr. M posted these lovelies as an antidote to a somber day.

 

Saturday, September 12^th 

This might be my weirdest lunch yet: lemon dill salmon on a bed of field peas, garnished with tomato & cilantro. 

We leave for the beach in the morning. I do plan on checking my work email periodically, I feel pretty confident that my coworkers can manage without me. I am going to read, crochet, and look at the ocean. What are you planning to do this week? I would feel bad for rubbing all your noses in this, but it has been a LONG time since we had a vacation!

Book Reviews – the August Edition

 

Once again, I only have three books to review this month. I’ve been rereading a fluffy Nora Roberts series (one of her witchy trilogies – the perfect diversion from current events). Next month will probably be more of the same.  

1. Peace Talks (The Dresden Files #16) by Jim Butcher. ★★★★★ When the Supernatural nations of the world meet up to negotiate an end to ongoing hostilities, Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, joins the White Council's security team to make sure the talks stay civil. But can he succeed, when dark political manipulations threaten the very existence of Chicago--and all he holds dear?

The Bug Says: As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, we waited 6 years for this next book in the Dresden series. I enjoyed it thoroughly. It felt like a return to similar plot lines from some of the older books which was a lot of fun, to me. But the best (and worst) part is that it was basically a book to set up the next one, which comes out at the end of this month. Woot!

2. Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates. ★★★★★ In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son, Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation’s history and current crisis. Americans have built an empire on the idea of “race,” a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men—bodies exploited through slavery and segregation, and, today, threatened, locked up, and murdered out of all proportion. What is it like to inhabit a black body and find a way to live within it? And how can we all honestly reckon with this fraught history and free ourselves from its burden?
 
Between the World and Me is Ta-Nehisi Coates’s attempt to answer these questions in a letter to his adolescent son. Coates shares with his son—and readers—the story of his awakening to the truth about his place in the world through a series of revelatory experiences, from Howard University to Civil War battlefields, from the South Side of Chicago to Paris, from his childhood home to the living rooms of mothers whose children’s lives were taken as American plunder. Beautifully woven from personal narrative, reimagined history, and fresh, emotionally charged reportage, Between the World and Me clearly illuminates the past, bracingly confronts our present, and offers a transcendent vision for a way forward.

The Bug Says: This was such a good book – especially for someone like I am, who only has a cursory idea of what it’s like to be a Black man in today’s world. And the premise – that it’s a letter to his son – makes it so poignant. I finished the book wanting more than ever to do a better job of helping create anti-racist policies.

3. The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir, by Jennifer Ryan. ★★★★★ Kent, 1940. In the idyllic village of Chilbury change is afoot. Hearts are breaking as sons and husbands leave to fight, and when the Vicar decides to close the choir until the men return, all seems lost. But coming together in song is just what the women of Chilbury need in these dark hours, and they are ready to sing. With a little fighting spirit and the arrival of a new musical resident, the charismatic Miss Primrose Trent, the choir is reborn. Some see the choir as a chance to forget their troubles, others the chance to shine. Though for one villager, the choir is the perfect cover to destroy Chilbury’s new-found harmony.

Uplifting and profoundly moving, THE CHILBURY LADIES’ CHOIR explores how a village can endure the onslaught of war, how monumental history affects small lives and how survival is as much about friendship as it is about courage.

The Bug Says: Oh my goodness what a MOST satisfactory read! It was my favorite kind of book – full of British WWII gumption, but the writing itself was a lovely surprise. Also, if you’re able to, listen to the audio version – it was great!

Last month I said that would probably have finally finished Ibrim X. Kendi’s book How to be an Antiracist, but this is a dense book with a lot of research (and it’s long!), so I’m still only about halfway through. Nevertheless I can already recommend it highly. So good, and another book that is convicting me right and left. I’ll make no promises, but really I should be done with it for my September book review.

2020 Project 365 – Week Thirty-six

It’s Sunday afternoon and I can hardly hold my eyes open. I went to Daddy & Sue’s after church today & left around 2:00 so they could take their afternoon naps, but I’m thinking I should have just stayed & joined them. Zzzzzzzz…….

Sunday, August 30^th                                                                 

There were about 22 people at church and we were able to stay pretty far apart – we sat in every other pew, and we all wore masks. It was kind of sad not being able to sing or to run around and greet every single person during the passing of the peace, but it was nice to see everyone (or at least half of their faces) in person. Plus, I wore a skirt that has been in my closet for around 15 years. I didn’t have a top to match, & the other week I thought, self, just GET ONE. What a concept!

Monday, August 31^st                            

This lovely Orange Kobacha squash was in our Misfits box this week. It’s almost too pretty to eat, but you know you’ll hear all about it if we try it.

Tuesday, September 1^st                                                                 Dinner – Dr. M’s on the left & mine on the right. I added cilantro & lime to my rice so I could pretend I was having a Chipotle burrito bol. Ha!

Wednesday, September 2^nd                                                           

There’s a moon in the sky!

Thursday, September 3^rd         

The only picture today was me trying to see what that cutout in my shirt looks like. My hair kept tickling my back & freaking me out so I needed to make sure I wasn’t being all extra exposed back there. Yes, this is the same outfit I wore to church on Sunday.

Friday, September 4^th                                                                      

Breakfast – so yummy! I put mushrooms in the bottom, then the steel cut oatmeal & parmesan, topped by a fried egg, avocado, & cherry tomatoes. Highly recommend!

Another new mask plus the same old bangs.

Saturday, September 5^th                 

Your weekly progress photo. There are only two more rounds to go, but it’s taking longer & longer each time (duh), so there might not be a progress photo next week.

All week I kept forgetting that it’s a holiday weekend and now here we are in the midst of it and I am SO HAPPY to have tomorrow off. I have a short of list of things to accomplish, but it’s entirely possible that I will do nothing but crochet, read, and play on my iPad. What are you planning to do?