This month, I’m skipping niceties and jumping right into the list…

1) After months of taking care our tomato plants, we finally have something to show for it. Throughout summer we’ve had one or two semi-ripened tomatoes, which tasted…fine. But these were truly ripe. And delicious.

Some pics of the crazy plants, that are full grown and have loads of green tomatoes on them. We almost had a frost last night. Crossing my fingers for a couple more weeks of decent temperatures.

2) My WordPress blog format has defaulted to Block editing, which, if you know WordPress you sympathize and if you don’t, it just means that I now have less control in terms of photo sizing and positioning.

I have zero interest right now in figuring out this new systems, so it is what it is.

3) Our youngest turned nine this month. We celebrated with homemade coconut cake and two of her friends (daughters of two families we have been cohorts with throughout summer). She is creative and silly and fun and cuddly and has big feelings that keep us on our toes.

4) The school where I work opened in-person (with safety measures, knock on wood), which means I am back in the office as of early September. When I went in, this reminder of all that had transpired since the last time I was there was waiting for me.

5) After six years of living in our house, we finally repainted our door! Top = old, bottom = new. What do you think? New door knocker coming soon!

6) This month’s read (for me, not our book group book) was “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” by Heather Morris. Online it is touted as a love story, but I didn’t read it as such. Sure, it involves a ribbon of a story of two people, real people, but it was more a story of raw heartbreak, tenacity, wit, kindness and a little bit of luck. Yes, it’s WWII, yes, it’s hard, but not unbearably so. The author gives the hard parts without overdoing the emotion or dwelling on them.

7) I voted for a presidential election by mail for the first time. Fingers crossed!

8) I haven’t seen any of my flower farm friends all summer. Part Covid, part me having to work over the summer (blessing and a curse). I made it out to see one of them this month on a beautiful fall morning – my friend Julia at Willa Rose Floral. It reminded me that I just need to make time for things, period.

9) We (husband, me) finally began watching Killing Eve, which I’ve been dying to watch since it came out. I kept waiting to catch free episodes of the first two seasons, and just sucked it up and paid the $20 (I know, not a big deal, but still) per season to watch via Amazon Prime. It has everything I love. Espionage, murder, surprise, humor, great characters, foreign countries, strong and complicated women and actor diversity (white, asian, black, etc.)

Has anyone read the books the show is based on? Are they good? I can’t imagine a show being better than a book, but the show is so good, I wonder.

10) September was a getting-back-to-a-real-schedule month, so a lot of the month was spent figuring all that out. Waking up early and going to bed earlier, having to actually get ready for work, homework, virtual piano lessons (ugh. is that even doing anything?), not being able to go on my daily walks (aaaaaaah! I miss that!).

11) My dahlias are hanging on, but again, with this latest cold weather streak, I’m not sure all the buds will end up blooming.

I did get this fantastic bloom, which is still amazing after a week of being cut, which was done several days after it opened on the plant. The petals are the whitest white and super fluffy.

12) I’ve done a lot of reflecting this month. Not soul searching, just thinking. About life and what I want out of it and what and how much I’ve been putting out into the universe.

Even though 2020 has been a hot mess, crazytown, sh*t show of a year, it hasn’t been all bad. It’s given me perspective. And more time with my immediate family. More time to walk and connect with faraway friends on the phone. More reasons to be grateful.

I’m not done reflecting or decision-making. Stay tuned. And have a wonderful October!!