Reading: Not enough. I've been in a slump. All summer I was stuck on forgettable, mediocre reads. Titles that are familiar, but stories that left little impression. Not pictured below. In that stack are some more alluring reads. The Need and Once More We Saw Stars and Save Me The Plums were solid. The others pictured, I didn't get to. I finally broke my slump with On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous. Vuong's words were raw and vulnerable. His story was filled with moments of tenderness and also moments of hard to read violence. I found myself rereading passages, sitting with the thoughts and images. Last week I picked up The Most Fun We Ever Had. I love big family dramas driven by rich characters. This one lacked depth so as I got further in and more acquainted, I became bored and a little annoyed. I wanted to throttle these selfish, static women. I couldn't relate and I could see exactly where it was going. The neat and tidy ending scored zero points with this reader.
Watching: Maybe too much. Binge watching is a real thing. A powerful addiction. I finally finished The Affair. I didn't much like the final season, but I loved the series finale. I cheered, I laughed, I cried. Then I looked up what I should watch next and found my way to the BBC series, Dr. Foster. I watched the first 5 episode season in one setting and I may have started the second if Ted didn't call and break the spree. We're all caught up on Succession too. I love a cast full of villains. I watched Unbelievable and became hooked by the strong female leads in Toni Colette and Merritt Wever. I really enjoyed Private Life and The Red Sea Diving Resort. They are both Netflix originals.
Listening to: The Hamilton soundtrack. I was lucky to recently see the musical. The performance was spectacular...in my top 10...maybe 5. The morning after, I was online looking for cheap tickets for the sold out run. Ha! Podcasts. Family Secrets is my favorite.
Eating: A lot of chicken since Lily is a self-proclaimed pollotarian these days. Without Teddy, I feel like I'm off my game a bit. He always had requests and that inspired me in the kitchen. I love to cook, but I love to cook for others. Last week I hosted a fall-themed dinner for some girlfriends and it was such a bright spot for me. I planned the meal around some recipes I wanted to try and also the precious last stop at the farmers market this season. I served sausage, sage and cranberry stuffed acorn squash, a creamy cauliflower gratin and my new favorite fall salad. It was the perfect combination of flavors and textures. It was a mix of baby spinach, sliced apples, smokey bacon, crumbled fresh feta, red onion, toasted pecans, dried cherries and roasted squash seeds topped with a mustard maple syrup vinaigrette.
Our new favorite side is a savory sweet potato mash. Good and good for us.
We're still working through the mother load of apples Lily and I picked on a beautiful fall day.
Comfort food: pot pie and lots of soup.
Enjoying: Baking for Ted's care packages, crisp morning walks, a new family photo wall, merino wool sweaters, a sassy bob for fall, Tigger suddenly becoming a lap cat, pumpkin seeds simply roasted with seasoning salt and oil, spontaneity, a dinner party in the middle of the week, scarves, a solid new pair of walking shoes, buying birthday gifts for Mike and St Nick gifts for the kids, Badger red boiled wool gloves, afternoon mugs of tea, the simplicity and ease of life right now.
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