long thanksgiving weekending

This weekend was spent in Connecticut. We drove up early in the day on Wednesday and came back in the wee smalls tonight.

I got to spend time with my folks, making Christmas cookies and watching movies and playing pool and sitting in front of the fire and baking scones and listening to music. We got a few tasks accomplished — like hauling some wood and setting up (but not decorating) Christmas trees — too.

There was a lot of napping — on the drive up and during the parade on Thanksgiving and during CBS Sunday Morning and when I went upstairs to get dressed yesterday afternoon — and some reading and a little knitting.

My best friend, Karen, and I got to spend some time together, which is always wonderful, with the bonus surprise of getting to see her kids for the first time in ages. They change the dynamic of the visit and it is definitely less restful for her, but it was really nice to see them.

It was the first holiday without Gramma, which was sad and weird. For the first time in a decade, no one stole the doughnuts Rudi and I were coveting most for Thanksgiving breakfast. No one did any crossword puzzles. No one wandered out midway through Thanksgiving afternoon to tell Mum “it smells good enough to eat” and to inquire if we’d be dining anytime soon, forcing us to have a snack of cheese and crackers. And no one trundled off to bed at ten with a warm mug of milk and a “Well, I’m going to bed!” I missed her, and her absence was felt all weekend long.

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Weekending along with Karen at Pumpkin Sunrise.

three things about three more things

I’m tired and want to go to sleep, so instead of finishing my March book report, I’m going to share another three random thoughts on three random things:

Small Business Saturday
1. President Obama and his daughters went shopping at one of my local bookstores and stopped for popsicles at a cafe I frequent. I’m excited for these businesses, because his patronage will definitely net them some new customers.
2. While I enjoy my holiday weekend in Connecticut, I am always sad to miss the to-do’s some of my local shops put on, particularly Labyrinth (a game shop) and Fantom (my local comic book shop).
3. The Yarn Harlot used her reach to share tweets about sales from indie dyers and yarn shops across her country and mine. I think that’s a really awesome way to use your fame.

Things I’m Looking Forward to Next Month
1. A Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings concert at Lincoln Theatre.
2. Writing Christmas cards.
3. Our New Year’s Eve movie marathon.

Movies I Want to Watch before Christmas
1. The Holiday
2. Miracle on 34th Street
3. The Polar Express

weird dream

I just dozed off and had a dream where I kept being attacked by hordes of butterflies who wanted to land on me and lick me.

It’s not as nice as it sounds.

up & down, colleen & colleen, and spick & span

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. At a time of year I rarely see either sunrise or sunset, I saw both in a single day. Dawn was pinkish, while the sun set more orangey.

2. I’m listening to the audiobook of Anne of Green Gables, and it’s clear from her pronunciation that the reader, Colleen Winton, is Canadian. Rudi noted that her voice reminds him of Colleen Dewhurst, who played Marilla in the wonderful tv movies. I don’t know if he’s right (it’s been several years since I last saw the show (Ooh! I should see if DCPL has a copy to borrow)), but she definitely does a fantastic job with Marilla’s part. She’s a very comforting companion during late-night chores.

3. My bathroom is very clean after a marathon scouring session.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world this week?

coffeeneuring 2015

2015 marks my third year of completing MG’s fall Coffeeneuring challenge, in which one rides a bike to places that serve hot beverages. (I suppose technically it might also be considered a challenge in which one drinks hot beverages while out on a bike ride, but let’s be honest: that’s not the kind of riding I do.

Ride #1
October 3
A Baked Joint, Washington, D.C.

Comestibles: Chaider (a combination of hot cider and a hot chai tea latte) and sourdough toast with Nutella and sea salt. Both were delicious and warm and exactly what was needed to help dry me out.
Distance: 6.1 miles
The Ride: This was a stormy Saturday, and we thought that the weather had abated when we headed out, leaving without rain gear and without a concrete understanding of what cross street we needed. After meandering through several neighborhoods in a drizzle, trying to find a way down to K Street, eventually we got there. The cafe, sister to crowd (literally these days) favorite Baked & Wired, has an open kitchen, an urban design, and outdoor seating for days when it’s not damp. We rode home via three grocery stores in hopes of finding a key ingredient for a recipe.
Bike Friendliness: How do a cafe and an adjacent bike shop not have bike racks of some kind nearby? The only place to lock your bike would be to the ankle-high tree boxes. Fail! (more…)

ten on tuesday: thankful

Carole’s Ten on Tuesday topic today is Things I’m Thankful for Right Now:

1. My family: 2015 has been a rough year, with death, serious injuries and illness, and unemployment poking sticks at us. But we persevere together.
2. My friends: See above. Dear friends from high school and college came to my grandmother’s funeral. Others friends have listened to me when I needed to talk or invited me out when they thought I might be lonely.
3. My three cats: They’re sometimes a pain, but how much lonelier — and chillier — my life would be without them.
4. Taxes: We all complain about how much we bring home each paycheck versus how much our employers say they’re paying us. But, man, we’re really grateful to everyone who paid taxes, which allowed my family to collect unemployment benefits and use local parks for picnicking in, rec centers and parks to play in, and libraries for letting us read books we could never afford to buy.
5. Hardy equipment: My car is 22 years old this fall and will, knock wood, get us up to spend time with family this week. The radio no longer works and the pickup is terrible, but it has a good heart and is a lovely shade of Colgate green. I dropped my phone a couple years back, shattering the screen. Gradually, it’s disappearing, but mostly it still functions just fine, especially after a system upgrade this summer.
6. Continued employment: Funding for the project I work on dried up earlier this year, but the director of our office has shifted around some of her funds to keep us all on for the time being. I don’t always love what I do and it’s not my dream job, but I mostly like the people I do it with and it does good in the world, and I could do far, far worse.
7. The Hamilton soundtrack: I’m afraid that no other music this year has captivated my brain the way this musical has, with its consistent ear-worminess, and one song or another is on constant loop in my head. (Currently it’s Thomas Jefferson’s “What Did I Miss?” Apologies to those of you who’ll now have it stuck in your head.)
8. Netflix: It’s really nice to be able to pull up an episode of Leverage or White Collar or Black Books or Miss Fisher whenever the mood strikes.
9. D.C.: Terrorists may be targeting it and the subway may keep breaking down, but its zoo and (many of its) museums are free, there are a plethora of bookstores and movie theaters and summertime outdoor films and farmers markets, the subway works most of the time, its bike-share system and network of bike-friendly trails and lanes continue to grow, and laws keep our buildings short and the sun peering down on us.
10. Bed: Because I’m tired and I can go join Rudi and the cats in it now that I’ve finished composing this list.

How about you? What are you thankful for at the moment?