1) Fall is a welcome change of scenery, yet I have never been a fan of the cold weather that accompanies this new season. I’ve taken less walks, due to time issues and also weather, but when I do go out, I’m rewarded with rusty colors and fewer landscaping sounds (lawnmowers, etc), which flooded my walks over the summer.

2) I don’t love Halloween – mostly because I don’t like scary things or strangers and I especially don’t like strangers dressed up as scary things. I’m no-so-secretly happy that the holiday was toned down this year and that the kids celebrated with intimate friend gatherings vs. trick-or-treating. I do enjoy seeing the Halloween decorations around the neighborhood, though.

3) I turned 48 this month. Which….yes, is still relatively young, especially if one is older looking back on 48, but I’ve never been 48 and I’m not loving it, to be honest. I’ve always looked and felt significantly younger than my peers, I think, and now all of a sudden I don’t and it feels unfair (I’m sure this is very eye-rolling to many readers, but this is my blog so I’m writing about me and speaking my truth).

I still, however, look forward to my birthday every year. It means I get some alone time and respite from day-to-day kid responsibilities, and a date night with my husband, which has only happened a handful of times since Covid.

4) I was gifted AirPods for my birthday – yipee! Life changing for gardening (how many times have I ripped headphones out of my ears while gardening!?), walks and on weekly 7:15am Zoom meetings (camera off) while I’m waking up kids and getting ready for work.

5) In the spirit of making more time to do necessary things, I scheduled a visit to Detroit Abloom to spend time with Tom and Nancy and the flowers. Dahlias were still crazy blooming, even this late in the season, and the backdrop of fall colors on the trees was stunning. Make time for beautiful people and beautiful things. Just do.

6) My own dahlias are hanging on as well. These are called Purple Rain, which I believe is Nancy’s own name for the flower, as it is perhaps a mutation of some sort. Anyway, the bulb that I have gives me pure white centers and purple tips on the back petals. The more common versions that I’ve seen at Detroit Abloom feature purple tips on each petal. I’m a bit partial to mine.

7) I always make soup in the fall, and butternut squash is one of my favorites. The girls will eat the caramelized squash cubes, so I set aside a bunch of those and also throw them in the soup as a topping. The last time I made it, I didn’t have celery and it actually tasted better, so I might omit that step next time.

8) The podcast I’m listening to now is Accused, which has up to seven seasons, I think. It’s true crime and done in true investigative journalism style, meaning storytelling isn’t salacious or gratuitous on details.

I have a love-hate relationship with unsolved crime and I was really hoping Season One (which I just finished) would have a more definite ending, but it was a great listen. The only thing that made me almost stop listening is the narrator’s pronunciation of “because” as “BUHcuz” and she says it a LOT.

9) Speaking of true crime, there has been a resurfaced buzz in Grosse Pointe of an unsolved crime from 2010 of the mysterious death of a woman who vanished after a church service (her body was found days later – was it accidental drowning, a suicide or murder?). The case is featured on Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries and a detailed re-investigation has also been featured in several editions of this month’s local paper, Grosse Pointe News.

10) I can’t say enough good things about “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens. It has been a hot book since it came out in 2018 and I finally got my hands on a library copy. I was skeptical, as sometimes the popular books don’t live up to the hype, but this one was everything I love. Quirky and flawed characters, an outcast, a beautiful setting, a mystery and a satisfying ending.

I looked up the author and of course she is older, not that a young author could have written this, but…I don’t think it would have felt as deep. And she’s also a wildlife scientist, which one says “of course she is” after learning that fact.

11) This was a roller coaster month for my family, as my Auntie Melinda (on the right) discovered she had a large brain tumor after a fall and concussion from a blackout. Things escalated quickly – she had surgery about a week later – and now she is back home, but in a somewhat altered state. We are hoping that her memory comes back and her confusion goes away, but at the very least, she is alive and functioning. So much work ahead.

12) That said, I haven’t been sleeping well. Actually, I HAVE been sleeping well, I’ve just been waking up super early, not being able to get back to sleep, which from experience means that my mind and being are unsettled. I’ve also found that the best remedy for this is to just get up and start my day. Which is what I did this morning at 4:45 am, which enabled me to write (and hopefully finish) this blog entry before waking up the girls for school.

There’s a lot to be unsettled about right now. Auntie, of course. And the rise in Covid again, like a bad recurring dream. The ongoing balance between work and parenting and everything else. The election, which is giving me such anxiety for so many reasons.

I’m hoping November smooths things out and slows things down and I think it will. I hope that if you’ve been feeling a sense of unease that the end of 2020 brings peace and calm to you, too! Be well, friends.

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!!

So, I didn’t actually forget about the July list. I’ve just been remembering at the most inopportune times. Like now (above is where we’ve spent the last week on vacation. My dad’s place in upstate NY and yes we quarantined first). But no time like the present.

Since I’m over 2020 already and I cannot right now with the usual list, I give you 12 things I am looking forward to after the pandemic, whenever that may be. In no particular order.

1) Dining at a restaurant
Okay, granted, since March, I have enjoyed the outdoor restaurant experience twice. It was not fully relaxing, but it did bring some sense of normalcy. I’m guessing there will not be a lot of restaurant eating for us for the remainder of the year. Definitely not when winter hits and eating outdoors is no longer an option.

2) Sending my kids to someone else’s house to play.
Please God.

3) No more political conversations about masks.
I don’t have them. I just hear them and read them.

4) Sports
For my kids. Not college or professional. I don’t watch those.

5) Large (more than 10 people) social gatherings
Just kidding!

6) Indoor social gatherings
That one is actually true. I love hanging out with a nice group of gals (and guys) by the fire with a cocktail. That I miss.

7) Window shopping
I’m not a big shopping, but I do like popping in to stores every now and then. I miss that.

8) Licking the grocery store produce bags
For the love of the land. I cannot open those things. So now I spray hand sanitizer on them and that works pretty well.

9) Touching all of the things
Such as grocery store produce, door handles, Amazon boxes, etc.

10) Not wearing a mask.
Obviously.

11) Sneezing

12) Singing
I miss karaoke, singing in chapel and I will miss Christmas carols.

Over and out!! Enjoy the last full month of summer!!!

June was hot and sunny and just as summer should be. Aside from the pandemic still hovering over us and dictating what we can and can’t do.

1) The Yacht Club pool opened for reservations and we decided to check it out. It was actually pretty great. Guaranteed seats, no one sitting too close to you, no pressure to make small talk or socialize. I loved it.

2) You can see my June read in the first pic. It’s another Brad Meltzer book. Not my normal genre, but I’ve now read three of his books in the last few months. I think it’s because I don’t have to think too hard. It’s plot-driven, although it’s not just plot – the characters are decent. It’s like watching an action/suspense movie. I can completely tune out and wind down to it.

Speaking of book, I don’t have a photo (why!?! It was such a beautiful night in a beautiful setting – my girlfriend’s backyard and her new outdoor fireplace), but my book group met for the first time in a long time. I think since February. It was so nice.

3) Happened on the last day of May, but I didn’t post about it….my high school class held a virtual 30TH (!!!!) reunion. Because most people were in Hawaii, we started at 10pm Michigan time (although one of us beamed in from Africa at 5am, so he wins), so I was super sleepy and logged off by midnight, though the gathering was still going strong.

What I can say about my high school friends is probably what most people say about their college friends. It was like picking up a favorite book.

4) I’ve been keeping up my walks (yippee!), although it’s been harder to do so as the weather gets warmer. I could get up an hour earlier to beat the heat, but then I’d have to get up an hour earlier.

I look forward to seeing these peonies every year. They are in an alley of sorts and I’m not sure if anyone tends to them, but they were planted with care for sure and are absolutely beautiful. I love watching them evolve.

5) My podcast pick of the month is hands down Caliphate. It follows journalist “Rukmini Callimachi, who covers terrorism for The New York Times, on her quest to understand ISIS.” At first, I found her voice annoying, but as it quickly became clear how much of an all-around badass she is, I stopped being annoyed and listened in awe instead.

In researching the summary of the podcast just now, I see that she won a Peabody award for it and I’m not surprised.

6) I did another small photo shoot for The Corner Studio. The girls were so sweet and cute and photographing all the outfits made me want to buy all the clothes (I did end up buying some python print leggings and a sweatshirt).

7) I never did share photos I took of the newly renovated Red Crown, a family restaurant in Grosse Pointe Park. I photographed their grand opening (they’d been closed for renovations), but just a couple days later, the state shut down. They are open again, but at half capacity and of course with Covid rules in place.

Covid or no Covid, the space is cool and inviting and the food I sampled from their new menu was yummy, too. I hear they’ve blocked off their parking lot to allow for more outdoor, socially-distanced seating. If you are in the area, stop by!

8) I am still devouring puzzles. This was one of two I did this month. It was the first one that’s somewhat frustrated me. I enjoy a good challenge, but solid colors (or slight variations on one color) is not the kind of challenge I am up for. It completely drove me crazy and I was relived to be done vs. satisfied.

9) On the opposite side of the dining table, my 11-year-old daughter worked on her own puzzle, and this is how she does it. OMG. My husband says she might purposely NOT lay the pieces out because I am so adamant about laying the pieces out, but I’m not so sure. It might just be her. For the longest time she didn’t do the borders first either, but at least she’s taken my advice (whether holeheartedly or reluctantly) on that one.

10) I went to the salon! It was amazing! I had an appointment scheduled in March, just days before they shut down for Covid. I hadn’t cut or colored my hair since October, so it was much needed. My hair has not looked as good since that day because I can never recreate what it is they do to it. Still. Worlds better than it was. Although now with all the sun I’ve had, the caramel is starting to look more tangerine, but I pretend not to notice.

11) After two years of saying that I should get the outdoor bench cushion reupholstered, I got it done. I didn’t take a before photo and I don’t feel like digging around for one, but trust me, this version is a nice improvement. The old cushion was striped with mostly oranges and yellows. It was fine, just outdated. Also, I love ferns so much.

12) I don’t love poetry. As a kid and young adult, I sometimes wrote poems as a creative and mental outlet, but even then I didn’t especially enjoy reading other people’s poems. In spite of that, I picked up a library copy of “The Poems of Octavio Paz” at the suggestion of a friend after a brief Facebook discussion on classic literature.

I wish I could read Spanish – the copy I borrowed showed the Spanish version, followed by the translated version, which I really liked having, even though I can’t understand Spanish), because part of the beauty of poetry is reading the actual words and the placement and flow of the words. But, the translator did quite a good job at relaying the feel of the poems.

Did this awaken a love of poetry I didn’t know I had? No. I still don’t like poetry. However, it broadened my knowledge of a prolific and talented creator, one that I wouldn’t have otherwise known about. His poems are thoughtful (meaning it’s apparent how carefully he thought through them – what to say and how to say it) and full and there is a sensuality to even the ones that are not sensual. I found his poems to be….well, poetic. Which many poems in my opinion are not.

As an adult, I don’t always enjoy reading or learning outside of what I find interesting. But it’s a practice that always serves me well when I do it. I hope to continue opening my mind to new and different things outside of my comfort zone. Maybe you’ll give it a try, too. It definitely takes effort, but once you get your feet wet, who knows what you’ll discover about the world or yourself. Here’s to a new month, and hoping it brings some positivity and inspiration to  all.

I don’t know why I wait until I’m crazy tired to begin writing these lists. My brain is emotionally and intellectually spent, so it will be interesting to see what I recollect for the May list.

1) I’ve been taking more walks, some of which have turned into walk/runs. I usually take the same paths, more or less. Still making attempts to see the neighborhood  with a different lens.

The walks have helped not only my mental state, as I can more comfortably fit some of my summer clothes. Although I have relented somewhat into trying to conform to my younger body shape and ordered some new (aka not so freaking tight) styles, including a pair of white pull-on jeggings, which are pretty much maternity jeans. Amazing!

2)  The baby robins hatched and fled their nest in our clematis (which is gorgeous this year, by the way). I inadvertently helped them leave one day as I moved in to take a closer look. They peeped at me and all of a sudden one of the squawked and darted out of the nest, fluttering down to the ground.

As soon as that happened, mom and dad rushed in from a tree nearby and there was much fluttering about and then the sibling jumped out and that was that. They hopped about, looking at me like….hi. what now. Ay carumba. I am sorry, little ones! I wish you well.

3)  I was asked to do a photoshoot for one of the high school seniors whose photos I took last year. She and her friend celebrated prom together, so the shoot was for both of them. They were so lovely and ethereal. Raise your hand if you were this beautiful in high school!?! Crickets everywhere.

4)  Aaaaand that shoot got me a few minutes of airtime the local (Detroit) news station, thanks to my girlfriend Kathy, whose reporter friend was looking for feel-good stories. It was a sweet piece about the girls, who were making the most of quarantine and still celebrating pivotal moments (like prom, graduation, etc.).

5)  And after watching myself on television, I realized just how much I missed my hair dresser and dermatologist. Please for the love of the land. The governor says hopefully by July 4th, salons will be open. I have not had a salon visit since OCTOBER. I’ve been growing out my hair and had an appointment scheduled in mid-March, exactly the date they closed. Hot mess.

6)  My podcast this month was The Teacher’s Pet, a podcast released in 2018 about an unsolved disappearance (assumed murder) in Australia. I was telling my girlfriend who is from there (and who subsequently also loves true crime podcasts) how much I enjoyed all the different Australian accents. There is actually a trial going on right now, which may result in a conviction.

I’m going to tune in to more stories from The Australian, if only for more of the accents.

7)  My puzzle this month was sooooo challenging. I didn’t realize how difficult this one would be when I bought it. All the roots and leaves, oh my.

8)  My husband and I celebrated our 12th anniversary this month. We ordered out from one of our favorite local spots, Bucci (the artichoke appetizer! The shrimp pasta!) and ate in the dining room while the girls ate in the family room and watched a movie. It was really nice. We talked about making it a regular thing, but we’ve yet to do it again.

9)  Our 11-year-old has been on a baking kick lately and she made yogurt cake that evening, not especially for our anniversary (so she says), but because she just felt like it. We all had some for dessert with homemade whipped cream (which I made) and strawberries and it was delicious.

10)  That day (of our anniversary dinner), I saw a post on my friend’s Facebook page about her having cleaned her chandelier. It looked so nice. So of course I had to also clean mine, which was a painstaking undertaking. But wow, the difference! First pic you can see the few rectangles that I polished compared to the other dusty ones. And yes, I hand massaged ALL of those suckers.

11)  I finished the book “Hillbilly Elegy” by JD Vance. It was good and I especially liked all the statistics he gave, those were interesting. But I read this on the heels of “Educated,” which to me was so much more captivating, in my opinion.

I started “The Kitchen House,” recommended to me by a friend, and I can tell two chapters in that I’m going to really like it. It’s so far about an orphan Irish girl who is brought to a southern plantation to work and live with a group of enslaved people.

12)  Lastly, I’m plain exhausted, can I get an amen. So tired of sheltering in place (I get it, but still). Our state is beginning to open up, but I’m not sure how fast we’ll embrace that as a family. The cultural unrest is unsettling, but the discomfort is needed, I suppose, for actual change. Work is just beyond busy due to the pandemic. It was supposed to be an easy summer. I will need to figure out a plan for the girls, as they are already over it with me and him working all day. I feel for them. And the list goes on and on. It’s all so draining.

I’m counting on June to bring some lightness and relaxation into my life and hopefully yours, too. Sending good wishes to all who are reading!!