Sunday Happy

It’s the last week of October folks. And this time next week it will be one hour earlier then it is now. I am already playing that game in my head with myself saying it is this time but will be that time. Getting mentally ready. And I know most people hate it, hate that it going to get dark out at like 430 but me, I am excited. I like having more sunlight earlier when I am awake and as for darker earlier, it just makes our after dinner walks that much more interesting. You can see inside peoples houses in the dark so much better.😳(Don’t pretend you don’t look too.)

The week began at Gifford Woods. After getting checked in and switching our campsite 3 times (for optimal light and a good chopping block )the mr and I hiked a long hike, he did some fishing (and actually caught one), I read, we made fire, we ate soup. All the good stuff. Then we went to bed with the knowledge that there was a bear roaming about. We woke up with no bear sittings (sad but probably good) and headed on back to town.

And it was Barbs 21 st birthday. So we had dinner with her and the boys at my moms, sang her songs, gave her shit, did the cake thing, and sent her on her way to go be 21.

After that it was back to it. Basically all the same stuff with some of this and that and a new, very expensive heater replacement at one of the apartments. (OUFF!) Then Barb came over for her second birthday dinner with the littles. Pie instead of cake, Coco shaking his booty, Miley harassing the mr about when he is gong to dye her hair, and Judah, well he was just being cool like a cool kid.

And that is pretty much it.

It’s Sunday and this is it, the last camping of the year. I would be lying if I said that I am not sad, but it’s ok, I don’t think I could handle the mr camping in the winter, he does not like to be cold. And honestly, we spend just as much time running around in the woods in the winter, we just come back to our warm bed at night so it’s not like we don’t still run away all the time. Anyway, heading out early, going to soak it in as much of the day away as possible, do a good hike, the mr is gonna fish, I’ll read and look at rocks by the river, and we will eat hot soup by the fire. Maybe as a last hurrah we will see a moose or a bear. I have no real control over that but wouldn’t that be awesome?

Oh and before I forget, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Some internet for your reading pleasure.

-A Rare Halloween Blue Moon in 2020. And it is daylight savings. Gonna be a crazy night!

This house. And the patchy, torn apart wall paper.. so good. Heading ‘Upstate’

-Are we living in a computer simulation? I don’t know. Probably. AAAAGH! But seriously, are we?

-Good to know. Is It Better to Bake in Glass or Metal?

-Veggie Burgers Can Be Called Burgers, European Parliament Says. I am sure this is pissing a lot of people off.

-Why living with and tending plants is good for you. So many reasons. I don’t know what I Would do without my plants!

-I agree. This Cozy A-Frame in the Woods Is One of the Dreamiest Cabins We’ve Ever Seen

-Cool AF mask. Zimarty Turns the Face Mask Into Wearable Architecture With zMask

-Pretty. Cloaked in Thick Smoke, Submerged Foliage Breaches the Water’s Surface in Mysterious Photographs

Pictures from the week.

Sunday Happy

And the week came and went. Monday was a blur, Tuesday thru Saturday was jammed packed with all the stuff. Lots of studio time, finally a day of glazing (although I barely got anything glazed), my first time experiencing zoom (that was a shit show but I got through it) and all sorts of this and thats and work things and so on and so forth. The mr has been working hard over at one of the houses replacing a roof. We have contemplated A grade or C grade cedar singles for siding over and over again, and I think my garden is pretty much done giving for the season. I have chard and kale and a few roots to pull but that just about it. Not a great gardening year (due to the stupid woodchuck and stupid hot temperatures), but not bad either but I guess any growth was a success so you know what, it was a great year. HA!

Yesterday the mr and I had Miley come over for a little birthday celebration lunch. (Barb came too ) We asked her if she wanted any one else but she said no. Just wanted to eat and be left alone. (she might get that from me). I got her favorite food, made her a batch of her favorite cookies (we are making a cake together later this week) and we bought her the biggest bag of sour patch kids that we could find. I also knitted her a hat, but when I showed it to her she told me she didn't like it and that she would prefer if I would just knit her a pair of black mittens. So that is 13 and you know what, sure I was a little disappointed she didn’t like the hat but I am glad she said so and I didn't give it to her and have her just toss it into one of her junk piles. I’ll just give it to someone else, or keep it. I like it.

Today, first and foremost, is Miley’s actual 13th birthday so again HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! She is with her grandparents so I won’t be seeing her stinky little face today which is all fine and good because the mr and I are doing our thing and heading out into the woods. I am so in need of trees and sky and quiet right now. Again, a long week. And this is probably the last time we will drag that kayaks with us so we are going to make it count and hit a couple of really cute and quiet ponds on our way to camp. And hopefully we won’t see all the people out looking at all the trees. Fall foliage season. It is on it’s way and the trees are looking so good this year. Unfortunately it brings out all the people and we all know how I feel about people….

Internet from the week.

-We all owe her so much. RIP lady. RBG’s Fingerprints Are All Over Your Everyday Life

Farmers' Almanac Extended Forecast for Winter 2020-2021. ALL THE SNOW!!! I really hope that we get lots and lots of snow.

-Wellenss is all well and good but don’t just jump on any old trend. Do the homework and make sure you are not putting yourself first before whole communities. From Palo Santo To Crystals, Millennial Wellness Damages The Communities It Borrows From

-How To Say No, For The People Pleaser Who Always Says Yes. I used to be way more of a people pleaser and then I realized I hate being around people which solved that problem (still a family people pleaser though…)

-Regular doses of awe can do wonders for emotional health. Of course. I think about this everyday, letting something, even the simplest thing, really struck me with awe because really, life and all the good stuff is pretty freaking awe inspiring.

-And then the birds sing! When COVID-19 silenced cities, birdsong recaptured its former glory

-Berkeley Is First in the U.S. to Ban Candy, Chips, and Soda From Grocery Store Checkout Lanes. This is so smart.I support this.

-It is so important to know where your food comes from and how it was made. Also if they are destroying environments as they go along.. Big Meat Is Selling Veggie Burgers—But It's Still Destroying the Environment

-We Quit Our Jobs to Build a Cabin—Everything Went Wrong. Worth it

-I Walked All 1,114 Blocks of My ZIP Code Just to Catalog How People Style Their House Numbers. This is something that I do too! I need to look at people house numbers when I walk by. It’s a reflex.

Pictures from the week.

-C

Sunday Happy

August. Then gem of the summer. Warm days, cool nights. The knowledge that yes, it is still summery now, but soon it will be crisp, and cool, and all fall with sweaters and apples and… I am getting ahead of myself. Still summer here, and I should just enjoy it will it lasts. So that is what I will do.

This past week was busy and a little on the stressful side at times. It started with camping on Sunday which was good, maybe not the best, but no camping is bad camping, unless it is bad. It just that is was terribibly hot and there was a lot of people around and poison ivy everywhere which made me anxious because I was also getting attacked by mosquitoes so I kept thinking I was starting to get it. (I am very allergic to poison ivy). Also I woke up in the middle if the night to the mr yelling because someone was looking into our tent. I didn’t see said person because I was asleep until I wasn’t and I did questioned whether or not he might have dreamed it, but needless to say, I didn't not sleep much after that. So yeah, other then that, not bad. And then we got out of the tent early, made the coffee and went on our way home. To life. We had (and still have) a lot of stuff going on, all at once because that is how it goes. But we got stuff done, and then some. And we even managed to get in a couple kayak sessions! First of the year because we are butts and also we just finally got around to getting racks for the car.(No more truck to throw them into. Sad). We also made time to look at a big chunk of land that I was sooooo expecting to love but nope, wasn’t for us. We test drove a newer van that was awesome, but again,wasn;t for us. We picked up farm share together and ate ten thousand tomatoes, and are now officially 100% filed and finished our taxes. Checks were wrote, I might have cried a little, but done they are.

So yeah, the week went, we did, I am tired, the mr is really tired, and we are ready to get out of here for the night. Our camping stuff is packed and ready to go. Now where are we going is the question…..Somewhere without night creepers would be nice.

Links from the internet for you to take or leave.

-Plastics Or People? At Least 1 Of Them Has To Change To Clean Up Our Mess. A beach of flip flops. How depressing. People, let’s all just stop buying plastic!

-I don’t know what the heck is wrong with people but curly parsley is the shit! It’s delicious and I can eat handfuls of it. For real. How Did Curly Parsley Get So Uncool?

-Reading this made me sad and angry. Greenland Is Melting Away Before Our Eyes

-This Must Be What It’s Like to Live Inside a Rainbow. I can appreciate it and I would love to say there but I don’t think I could actually live with that much color. Sensory overload!

-Now these rooms. I could live in. Cool Pics Show Hotel Rooms of the U.S in the 1950s and '60s

-This reminded me so much of my sister Erin. She would do something like this (or already has) Three Cats in Japan Have a Closet Full of Custom-Made Hats Felted From Their Shedded Fur

-This Remote Corner Of Nevada Is One Of The Darkest Places In The World. I want to go. I will go. And I bet everyone else wants to to, so lets all not be assholes and trash the place like happens when cool places are discovered.

-I am a slut for bedding. Just pictures of pretty textiles make me happy. BOHO BEDDING.

-At Burger King, Your Meat-Free Burger Might Come With a Coating of Real Meat Juice. This is another reason why I don’t ever go out to eat. And this 1 In 4 Food Delivery Drivers Admit To Eating Your Food. I trust no one!

-Japanese Way of Making Iced Coffee. Do you drink Iced coffee? I love it but rarely drink it because I have no will power when it comes to coffee and will basically chug it and then it is gone and I am sad. Hot coffee slows me down, if only a little bit.

And pictures from the week.

Sunday Happy

Summer at it’s fullest and greatest. And not so great, at it’s hottest. At least this past week was freaking amazing, especially compared to last weekend. That humid heat damn near killed me!

The week started off with a soggy hike and a heat soaked day of camping and fun times. Groton State forest, at the Stillwater campground. The mr and I were both a little drained and tired from being so so hot but we managed alright, went and did some hiking, the mr did a little fishing, I sat around and read. The normal, just a little slower then usually. But it all changed that night. We woke up and walked down to the water to watch the sunrise and take in the fresh, glorious, air. It was not hot and humid and we was alive again. HA

Then after camp, home we went, back to the week. Stuff happened, like stuff that needed to happen, like those taxes that I have not wanted to talk about… They are pretty much done. HOORAY!!! All the ups and downs. The few tears, the rage, the anxiety. Over. And now I can stop worring about them for a least a few more months, until next year that is. Because every year. Blah. Stupid taxes.

Besides taxes, there was a dentist appointment that I sat around and waited for but never got to be seen. (SO PISSED) Paul came over for resume help and food. The mr, Barb, Coco, and I spent an afternoon at the park. I weeded for hours in the garden. And lets talk about the garden. Whoa it is going and going. Right now it’s all about the squash, chard, and greens and the tomatoes will be booming soon!!!!!!!!!! That on top of farm share, well I am just one happy, full to the brim, lady.

The rest of the week was and went.

Friday I worked the studio all day then the mr and the littles picked me up. We ran to the store to get supplies, then went home for our first backyard campout. The rule was, besides me, no one was allowed inside at all until just before bed time to use the bathroom and brush our teeth. (Or to go number two. They needed to use the toilet for that. Ha). And so I got dinner stuff ready (In the house but I needed to use the fridge and because I could), we ate dinner at the picnic table, set up the tents, made a fire, did so-mores, played with fire, and the kids ran around hopped up on sugar. We went to the park, walked around the neighborhood, and when it got dark, lit up some sparklers. It was the best! The kids were so happy, the mr and I were happy to be camping again, even if it was just the backyard, and really, it just was so great. Even when we were in our tent trying to fall asleep and all I could hear was Miley and Judah whispering and giggling and playing cards in their tent. Because that is what you do when you camp and it had me falling asleep smiling.

When we woke up (I woke up 3 hours earlier then everyone, made a pot of coffee and read on the porch) the breakfast stuff was ready outside. Eggs and toast on the camp stove. Hot chocolate, and freshly picked raspberries from the bushes in the yard. Then back to the park, and home they went. Probably some of the best camping yet. And now that we know they are awesome in a tent, we are taking them to a state park in the next few weeks. That’s gonna be fun.

Today we are heading south to camp. Lake St. Katherine or maybe Half Moon. Not sure yet. The plan is to get close and see which one feels right. We were going to bring the kayaks but It might rain and thunderstorm during the afternoon and tonight so I figured we can just go hiking instead. I would rather be in the woods and not in the middle of the lake during a lightning storm. That would kind of suck. But watch, it probably won’t rain, and even if it does, I am ok with that. We won’t melt.

Endeavors into the world wide web.

-IKEA Upcycles Furniture Into Homes For Birds, Bees, ​and Bats. Some sweet ass, fun-tastic looking homes for those birds, bees, and bats.

-I am not a beach person, partially because of this. Sun, Sand And Sewage: Report Shows Many U.S. Beaches Unsafe For Swimming. Happens here in Burlington too.

-What are algae blooms and why are they bad?. Another reason I avoid the beach.

-Questions We All Ask Ourselves: Why Does the Beanbag Chair Even Exist? Because who doesn’t love to sink into big ol’ bean bag?

-I can’t wait until the fennel starts flowing at the farm. It is the BEST! Fennel: The Best Ways to Pick It, Cook It, and Eat It

-Why Science Can Be So Indecisive About Nutrition. There is always something about something. Heck, even kale was bad for you at one point.

-This common plastic packaging is a recycling nightmare. When is the plastic craziness going to stop? And when are people going learn that just because it says it is recyclable, doesn’t mean that it is actually going to be recycled. We should just stop worring about recycling and focus more on reducing freaking plastic all together.

-Not sure what I think about this. Petition to change date of Halloween gets more than 80,000 signatures

-Soemthing about these photgraphs that I really like. Murky waters: Karine Laval’s dreamy photography takes you from the deep end to a surreal space

-A Needle Pulling Thread. Sashiko is the perfect simple, low-cost hobby to get you off your phone. Or just have another hobby. I have been meaning to Sashiko all the big holes in my couch cushions.. Maybe it will be my winter project?

Pictures from the week.

-C

Sunday Happy

Did you get out last week, see some trees, see some nature, take in the world? I hope so but if you didn’t, take some time today and do it, it will make you happy Promise.

Last Sunday was camping at the Queeche Gorge State Park. Stopped at a cool flea market on the way, saw some cool old stuff, almost bought a painting (I kind of wish I did. Oh well) Then off to the camp ground which was pretty empty, but man, there were a shit ton of people bumping around the gorge trails. Not bad, I just was a little surprised, but I guess I shouldn’t have been. I mean, foliage and nice weather and beauty. It brings the people out. Anyway, the hiking was good. Found a off shoot trail that no one else was on and found a tiny little brook with spawning trout. Got back to camp, made pumpkin lentils for dinner and then the sun started to set and the night got very cold. The fire was needed oh so much. I might have even melted my shoe a bit because I was a little to close to it. And when it hit that magical time (8) we jumped into the tent. I slept with a hat and hood and mittens on in my sleeping bag with a wool blanket and was just as happy as could be. Then we woke up, made coffee, packed up, and headed for the streams so the mr could fish in 35 degree weather. It was freezing but it makes him happy so it makes me happy.

After we got home the week went per usual. Work here and there, dinner with the littles, Barb up my butt about how excited and nervous she was about Italy, and could I please just hem this skirt for her? You know, the normal stuff.

I think it was Wednesday, the mr and I were out for the day so I had packed out lunches. I was eating a carrot and all of a sudden, CRACK! Spit out my carrot and there was the little stone (it happens some times) and also a big ass chunk of my tooth. Yup, the stone broke a piece of one of my molars off. Oh my was I freaking out. Called the dentist right away but my dentist doctor is out of town and can’t get me in until next week! As of right now it is fine and doesn’t hurt or anything, but I am terrified that it’s going get worse or break more or I don’t know. This and I just was there for a cleaning like 2 weeks ago. Said I had great teeth health and blah blah blah. After that happened, I have been a little on edge since. The underlying feeling of something wrong in my face, and it’s driving me crazy. Stupid tooth.

Friday morning was running around, a few chores, and a quick frosting and dinosaur making to finish off the ice cream cake and off to the studio for the day. Loaded kilns, played in the slop bucket, pugged some clay. Then ran home to get the cake and make quick to Barb for her 19th birthday hurray! There was a family crowded dinner. I brought the cake and she’s jumping up and down being crazy and awesome and was trying to keep her shit together because the next day she was getting on her first plane ever and flying to Italy! Whoop whoop.

So yesterday was basically set aside for Barb. I cleaned the house early, packed our lunches, then the mr and I picked her and her friend up and drove them over the border into Cananda and dropped their lucky tushies off at the airport. SO CUTE. I might have been a little jealous, but more then that, I was, and am, just so excited for them. Italy, haven’t been yet, but I will get there. Barb said she would bring me back a picture of an Italian toilet so that will be good enough. I probalaby won’t need to go after getting that. Ha. And so we dropped them off, headed back home and watched all the most amazing clouds in the sky. Got home, took a shower, and passed the f out.

Today is up in the air. Not exactly sure wha't’s going to happen. We have a very important thing this afternoon that is exciting to us, but other then that, not sure. Camping was talked about but none of the campground are open anymore. We were thinking of maybe sleeping in the car under a tree, but not 100% sold on that idea. It also might snow so you know, the mr is scared of the white stuff. Me, I am very excited and would love to wake up with some snow, but I get it. It is getting cold out. But if we sleep in the car, it would totally be fine, and fun. Just got to convince the mr.

Internet from the week.

-Isn’t see always right? Grandma Was Right: Sunshine Helps Kill Germs Indoors

-You Can Buy 'Golden Girls'-Themed Cereal at Target Now. What the.. Funko’s. That is just kind of amazing.

-Who didn’t read this book? I hope if it does become a movie they don’t screw it up and that the young ones still read the book. 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.' By Judy Blume Could Finally Become A Movie

-Good, Evil. Sugar There is a lot to the history., Sugartime. How a taste for sweetness, developed for survival, became a stand-in for everything good — and evil — about our culture

-Are Siblings More Important Than Parents? I don’t know, but there is something. Growing up as one of 9 is who I am. I con’t even imagine not having them. And my sisters are my best friends so maybe, yeah, like not more important but kinda?

-5 Mistakes to Avoid When Baking with Yeast. But it’s really not hard to use yeast. If you are intimidated, start by making focaccia.

-I would live in an old church, but only if the vibe was good and there was no history if weird shit.. Holy Homes: Inside Houses That Used to Be Churches

-Last week at the gym there was a special on the news about people called flat landers. They believe the earth is flat ans think all of evidence , things like gravity and even the moon is all a hoax. It was very strange.. 10 easy ways you can tell for yourself that the Earth is not flat

-I need a glass greenhouse. Majestic Conservatories and Cozy Private Potting Sheds Showcase the Universal Appeal of Glass Greenhouses

Pictures from the week

-C