Sunday Happy

Happy August! Best month of the summer because it is starting to feel cooler out at times (Yay for morning sweaters!!), the tomatoes and eggplants are growing with vigor, and well, it means summer is coming to an end and fall will be here soon. Whoop whoop!

The week went. We stared with a sunny camp day. Took the kayaks out, set up the tent, went for a hike, and while we were out we had a passing rain cloud dumped a ton of rain, while the sky was still blue, all over our camp site. No big deal except we didn't have the rain fly on the tent (again, the sky was blue) so the inside of the of the tent and all of our stuff got soaked and whatever, we dealt with it because that is what you do. Anyway, we dried out as much as we could then sat by the fire, ate camp soup, then crawled into the wet tent. Woke up, tossed it all into the truck and headed out.

Back in town life went on pretty much as usual, although the mr couldn't eat for the entire day (medical test stuff) so he was a real right treat to deal with. But we did the stuff we do and then some. The mr then had his doctors thing the following day and then ate all the food (and stopped being an asshole) so that was good. Beside all that jazz, I had lunch with Barb and hung out with Meg and So. I threw lots of pot, picked a lot of zucchini, and watched as my tower of beans grew to enormous heights. We went on a few more walk, jaunts, and the such and enjoyed the cooler weather as much as we could. And after watching it grow grow grow, my bean tower fell over. The weight of it snapped one of the sticks so the mr and I had to rig it up with rope and more wood. It is the craziest my beans have ever gotten.

Yesterday, spur of the moment, the mr and I dragged a tired little Coco out for ice cream. We tossed him in a wagon, walked to town, ordered him a cone, and held his hair back while he silently and intensely ate it. Then the sugar kicked in and he was wagon surfing all the way home. Highlight of the week. HA!

Today after a few morning chores we are heading out again. It is suppose to rain all afternoon and night so we are going into camping prepared for it. (Gonna set up the rain fly asap!). I have no problem hiking and playing in the rain but I am not a big fan of being drenched while sleeping. Hopefully it isn’t a complete washout!

Internet from the week.

-When Masks Become Trash. I live in a relatively clean state and I still see masks all over the place. It pisses me off a whole lot.

-I guess I am a super hero cause I sweat A LOT. Why Sweat Is A Human Superpower

-30 Things You Should Know About Veggies by the Time You’re 30. Veggie knowledge to know at any age.

-How Big Beverage poured empty promises down our throats. So much liquid in so many bottles! I sometimes feel guilty about buying seltzer now and then. But that is all I will buy. All those crazy drinks, I don’t get it.

-If the Hardiest Species Are Boiled Alive, What Happens to Humans? I count myself a lucky one. Here in Vt we haven’t had the crazy heat like the rest if the country. I don’t think, no I know I couldn’t handle it. Shit is real friends and that shit is bad.

-If I were to win an Olympic medal I think bronze would be the one I would want to win. Top three but don’t have to worry about always being the #1 or the one that was almost #1. Yeah, bronze seems good. Why Bronze Medalists Are Likely Happier Than Those Who Win Silver

-Spending a lot of time planning for a trip here!

-Who Actually Buys a Gold Toilet?. You ask me ans I would say an asshole.

-Thousands of Fresh and Artificial Flowers Overrun an Abandoned Convenience Store in a Small Michigan Town. 😁

Pictures from the week

Sunday Happy

The week went by in a blur. I worked a lot in my studio, worked at the other studio, did things that needed to be done, ate food, slept some. Nothing to eventful. We did go for a couple of good snowy hikes earlier in the week which were very much needed. Also I finally pulled out the comforter after the mr told me he was freezing to death at night. And I have officially had my brand new phone for 2 weeks, sitting in it’s pretty little white box on my desk, without opening it and switching put my SIM card. Ask me why and I could not tell you. All I know is that its getting ridiculous.

Today I am spending the morning glazing mugs at the studio and hopefully after that the mr and I are going to go pack our lunches and go for a snowshoeing adventure IF the snow is shoeshoe-able. If not, we will just hike into the woods with our regular feet. And when I get home, I am, I MUST, open my new freaking phone. I will reward myself with spending the rest of the day drinking coffee and reading.

Internet for you pleasure.

-So ok, I am on a weird “wanting a new couch for the upstairs room” kick. I could never spend anywhere near this much money on a couch, but I am lusting after it. Caitlin by The Everygirl. This website… Building your own couch. So good.

-This Quaint Eco Cabin is Essentially a Birdhouse For Humans. Into this. Not sure if the mr would like it though.

-Are you a resolution person? I am not, but I get why people do it. And this year, like so many past years, many a resolution goes out the window But guess what? It’s all good so don’t even worry about it. Broken New Year's Resolutions Already? It's OK To Give Yourself A Break

-'Why Do I Spend Weeks Avoiding Tasks That Will Take Me 10 Minutes to Do?' Like me not opening and using my new phone.

-A baked sweet potato is street food.. Why hasn't that caught on here?!? Just here making my own but gonna try this method. For a ‘Proper Proper Proper’ Baked Sweet Potato, Freeze It First

-A Los Angeles Nonprofit Is Supporting Prison Abolition Through a Community Ceramics Practice. Awesomeness!

-Yes, let take it (when it is safe!) LET’S TAKE A TRIP TO CHÂTEAU DE DIRAC.

-Behold the world’s tallest trees. Trees in general are amazing but when you get into old growth and stands of redwoods… truly is the most breathtaking. Touches the soul.

-Not good news but need to know news. CDC Warns New U.K. Coronavirus Variant Is Spreading Fast In The U.S. So stay away from people and wear you masks yo!

-But some good news. The Cat Who Came Back: Patches, Believed Killed In Mudslide, Shows Up 3 Years Later

The few photos I took on the mr’s phone which brings me to the number one reason to open my new phone. TO be able to take pictures again!

Sunday Happy

Just the other night the mr and I were having the conversations about doing the heater checks in all the apartments, what the plans are going to be for the holidays, and all the end of the year things that need to be done before, well the end of the year. It was a weird conversation because were did the year even go? 2020 flying on by through a shit storm and we are not slowing down.

Another great week that began with more fantastic hiking and camping. We were at one of my favorite places, Groton Forest, ans lucky not a whole heck of a lot of people were there. Our hikes were beyond gorgeous,the air was cool, it was quiet and calm, and the sky was clear. Just a solid A+ camp.

Then we slept, woke up, broke down camp and came home. Every week we come home is hard. The mr and I could live in the woods forever! Life goals.

The rest of the week went as usual. The mr off doing all the work he always is doing plus talking to plumbers, plaining wood with Judah, selling (and sold) Barbs car, and was getting in as much fall scootering as he could before the thing needs to be stored away for winter. Me, same same. Studio stuff. Did some glazing, made more things, trying to get super ready for the holiday season and have a good stock of stuff to sell.

Not much really in the way fo eventfulness maybe besides me and Miley made a cake for shits and giggles then had dinner with Barb. Or that the mr and I filled out our ballets and I went and dropped them off at city hall. We also took the boys for a bike/walk. I picked up my second to last farm share for the summer (winter share starts in November) Oh, and I broke my freaking favorite eating fork. I have been eaten almost all my meals with this fork for like 10 years and it was truly a fantastic fork, perfect weight, perfect angle, perfect sharp tines. So that shook me. But I’ll be ok.

Today the mr and I are heading out for our second to last camp. Already sad about it but I am trying to not think about it too much. I want to just enjoy all the trees ans colors and go for a good hike and sit by a nice fire and go to sleep on the ground. All the good things.

Internet to read if you are so inclined.

-The mr and I had this conversation a few months back. It is pretty interesting to heat and see what others think too We Asked Americans How They Feel About The U.S. Flag. It Got Interesting.

-This Kitchen.. 2 different stoves and a wood fireplace!

-I am going to be one with the cracked teeth, I have jaw problems as it is ans I don’t remember the last time I have’t clenched my jaw. Oh wait, I think it was sometime in 2016. Sleepless Nights, Hair Loss And Cracked Teeth: Pandemic Stress Takes Its Toll

-Why social media makes you feel so old. So so old.

-I never put my vintage pyrex into the oven because I am always afraid of it exploding (it has happened before and has stayed with me) What You Really Need to Know About Exploding Glass Bakeware

-How to Survive 5 Extreme Weather Scenarios. We have been caught in some pretty extreme weather. I guess we are lucky to be alive. HA!

-Ad ode to the fork. The Rise of the Fork

-What’s the Weirdest Place You’ve Taken a Call Lately?. If you haven’t talked on the phone while you are on the toilet, well then, where are yo talking from?

-Chairs. PLEASE, HAVE A SEAT.

-Kill Your Gas Stove. I have come to terms with the fact that that next time I need a new stove or am building a new kitchen, no more gas. Induction it will be.

Pictures from the week

-C

Sunday Happy

My counter is covered with tomatoes, melons, pears, and zucchini. I have a long sleeve shirt draped over the chair by the front door to throw on when I leave the house in the morning, the camping stuff is now in our weekly rotation, and all the sunflowers have bloomed and are big and mighty… This is the best part of summer, wouldn’t you agree?

What a good week. The mr and I started off with a camping adventure up in Belvidere. A great day. We went for a hike, made a nice soup dinner, relaxed and enjoyed the solitude before crawling into the tent to ass out. But I think I only just fell asleep when the lightning started. Then the thunder, and then the torrential downpours. It was crazy. I have never seen so much lightning or heard thunder as loud and as long as I did that night. I was laying awake for what felt like hours just watching the tent light up and thinking that the thunder was actually the world falling in on itself. But then it stopped, I fell asleep for a little while, and then we woke up before the dawn, picked up our sopping wet tent, and came on home. So sure, we were a wee bit wet and exhausted but I was also feeling more normal and happy then I have in a while. I guess all I need is to pitch a tent in the woods and I am good. So good in fact. Even if it we are camping during a tornado warning. (I guess we missed that one.😳)

The rest of the week consisted of a few more hikes, a kayak adventure where we both ended up getting sunburnt, lots of tomatoes from the farm, and a neighbor basically throwing all the pears at me that I could possible take from him pear tree. We did dinner with Mom, had lunch Barb, and played with Gigi. And all the usual this and that. The mr finished anther free pantry (this one is gonna have a fridge too), I made all the phone calls and would be happy if I never talk on the phone again. I weeded the garden (probably for the last time), and we both voted by mail. Productive as alway.

Today the mr and I are heading out early early. Gonna toss the tent and kayaks into the truck and head on out into the mountains once again for a night away. Just let the day be however its gonna be out in the woods. Very much looking forward to it. VERY MUCH!

Stuff I read on the internet.

-Jumping for Justice Chris Facey’s photographs recall summer in the ’90s.. I am obsessed with this photos.

-Love my local flour company! The Riotous Success of King Arthur Baking Company

-Golden Girls’ Wallpaper Exists—And It’s Not Hard to Picture It in Your Place. Not sure if I think its creepy or I love it….. Think I love it.

-You can really see when people really care about quality of their products.How One Company Has Been Making Tofu by Hand Since 1911

-'Columbusing': The Art Of Discovering Something That Is Not New.

-It’s watermelon season! Why You Should Be Eating Watermelon Seeds, Instead Of Spitting Them Out

-It is also eggplant season! What Is an Eggplant, I Beg of You?

-DIY Drying Rack. On my list of things to do!

-Not to sound like a downer or anything but if you think socializing now is hard, The Winter Will Be Worse. It is sick that I am actually really excited for winter and not having to see ANYONE?

-Not Flying This Summer? Many Americans Are Hitting The Road — In RVs. I have talked to a lot of people RVng this year. Just wait until next summer. I bet there are going to be a shit load of people trying to get rid of those RVs they just bought.

Pictures from the week

-C

Sunday Happy

What a week! The weather, well what can I say. It is pretty much summer and wow. Just yeah, that happened. And now I am hot which means I packed away all the winter stuff and busted out the shorts! And the sports bras. Blah. I was on a great run of a little over 2 months with no bra but finally was forced to wear one if I wanted to run with my iPod. I needed to stuff it into said bra while going for a run. I used it as a pocket. A bra-ket of sorts.. And when I came home, I ripped it off so it wasn’t so bad. Haha!

Another busy week. Littles everyday. We made meals, went for bike rides, hikes, and walks. Had them sleep over, watched Ferris Bueller, and made them weed the garden so they know that food is not free. HA! The mr and I have had little time to ourselves. We did get to spend part of a day picking up lumber from the cedar mill for a few projects the mr is working on and then we went for a nice long hike. just the two of us. That was nice, but again, we basically have had 2-3 of the littles all week which has been great but means I now have no food and every surface of my house is (was, I spent last night with the vacuum and cleaning rags) dirty.

I have also been low level stressed all week. First the fridge. It is still having issues. We think we figured it out and parts are ordered so we (more me) are crossing our fingers that this will solve the problem. I will be really really sad if I need to get a new fridge. But just in case I have been keeping my eyes open for a new, old, yellow or green or just bad ass one. Again, just in case because I trust that the new parts will fix it. On top of that, the mr ripped some of the walls down in the bedroom. It has been almost 4 years since we bought this house and remodeled it. We did all the work ourselves except the framing of the addition that was added on. Not a big thing, just basically raised the roof. And for the past maybe year or so, the mr seemed to have it in his mind that the roof was shifting and was going to fall in on us and has been telling me he wants to cut a hole in the ceiling to check out the framing. I was fine with that, at some point, when we planned a time to do it. Long story short, the other morning at 430 (I wake up at 4, he usually wakes up at 730) he came into the living room, dressed, and informed me he was ripping that top of the walls down in the bed room. And he did. They were down by 9am. He added more supports to the frame to make us all happy and then had to call it quits. My sweet sweet bedroom now has the walls ripped off with no immediate plans to re-sheetrock. Meh. Actually am fine with it. I have lived in worse. Just as long as it gets done before the winter.

We are there again, Sunday. After the few chores and a trip to the grocery store this mooring, (again, the littles ate all my food) the mr and I are picking up the littles for a picnic lunch and the mr is going to take them fishing. Me, I hope to be able to sit back and read, not have to worry about cleaning up a mess, and just be.

Internet links for your internet pleasure

-From Camping To Dining Out: Here's How Experts Rate The Risks Of 14 Summer Activities. Camping is low risk. Phew!

-Should you refrigerate tomatoes? Researchers and an ‘electronic tongue’ offer a surprising answer. Good to know cause we are getting close to tomato season!

-Did you have Jump Rope for Heart when you were a kid? I freaking loved that shit. I think I gotta bust out the old rope, get my jump on. Jumping rope is an unbeatable cardio workout—if you do it correctly

What day is it today? I don’t even care anymore.

-We walk. A lot. (like a lot lot) And maybe not correctly al the time. Walking correctly takes work—here’s how to improve every step

-Is it sick that I would love to receive (maybe even give) a list like this? A Friend Sent Me a Long List of All the Ways I Suck—What Do I Do?'

-On the Moon, Astronaut Pee Will Be a Hot Commodity. I mean, I would just assume.

-Yes to peanut butter and pickles. The Elusive Story of the Bread-and-Butter Pickle Sandwich

-I see it. I hear it. Life is crazy and people are feeling it. Is Everyone Depressed?

-Nature is fascinating Herd Of Fuzzy Green 'Glacier Mice' Baffles Scientists

Pictures from the week