Carole’s 10 Things Tuesday has become 10 Things on the 10th, but that fell yesterday on a Three Beautiful Things day, and I figured no one would really mind if I were late to the party as long as I brought my dancing shoes, baked some snacks, and offered to refill everyone’s drinks while I was up.

So, today, on the 11th, here are ten things I enjoy about this time of year:

1. Fall color: Is it possible to see the trees turn and not feel a little bit more in love with the world? I mean, not when you’re raking, but while the leaves are still firmly attached to the branches, resplendent in their cerise, ochre, and gold? On a side note, no one can convince me New England with its achingly beautiful sugar maples doesn’t have the prettiest fall colors.
2. Apple cider doughnuts: This is one of those things I just used to take for granted. Until I moved south and finding these cinnamon-sugar covered doughnuts became so much more of a challenge. Sarah and I usually take road trips to find local ones (within 2 hours of D.C.), but this year, each of us traveled and brought them back as souvenirs.
3. Wrapping up in knitwear: I love me a colorful hat and some cozy socks. And maybe a shawlette draped loosely around my neck.
4. Coffeeneuring: I’ll be honest: I don’t love riding my bike. But I live in a city, and, honestly, sometimes it’s really just the easiest way to get around. But MG’s annual challenge makes it far more likely than not that in October and November you’ll find me on a bike both days in the weekend, pedaling on errands and quests to find hot beverages.
5. Window open, A/C off: Rudi and I routinely disagree during the summertime about what temperature the apartment ought to be and whether the window should be open or closed. But in the fall we both agree that the air conditioner no longer needs to run and that the window will stay open until neither of us can type for how cold our fingers are.
6. Plentiful holidays: My office is open on Veterans Day, so I had to work today, but every month from September through January, we get paid weekdays off. (That spring period between President’s Day and Memorial Day is a killer.)
7. Fallen leaves: I realize this is a controversial choice, and I’m not sure I’d feel as fond of them if I had to remove them from a huge amount of land. But in the city, shuffling through dry, musty leaves on the sidewalk is a very satisfying feeling.
8. Local fall fruits and veg: Fresh ginger. Quince. Broccoli. More types of squash than you can identify. Apples, both giant, juicy hybrids, and sweet, little heirlooms. Bounty at the farmers market, and you aren’t yet tired of the sameness of it all like you will be by February.
9. New tv: I like a new season of tv. You get new episodes with old friends, and get to make new ones. This fall we’re liking Pitch, Speechless, Conviction, Timeless, and Pure Genius.
10. Apple crisp: I could totally make this at other times of the year, but it just seems right in the fall.

How about you? What are you enjoying this fall?

Three beautiful things in this week where we really need to work to find it:

1. The nice thing about living and working in the bluest of blue places (93% of D.C.’s voters chose Hillary) is that those of us who showed up on Wednesday and today were extra gentle with each other as we all sat in our offices and shared spaces wiping away tears.

2. The line at our polling place on Election Day was more than an hour long, but the priest came down the queue with doughnuts, and we all chatted with each other and were generally pretty chill with a festive feeling of civic virtue in the air. Granted, at that point, we thought we were going to win, but still…

3. Sarah spent last week in upstate New York and brought cider doughnuts back with her, including a half dozen for us.

How about you? What beauty have you encountered in your world lately?

I started this last night, so I’m finishing it up tonight. The political situation is not looking good…

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic asks bloggers about books they’ve recently added to their to-be-read list. Please note this is not my to-be read pile of books on-hand, except where detailed, but a lot of books that have shown up on the year-end best-of lists that have started appearing:

1. Dust Bowl Girls: A Team’s Quest for Basketball Glory, by Lydia Reeder

I’m hoping for something like the basketball version of A League of Their Own.

2. Fever at Dawn, by Péter Gárdos

I feel bad about not having read any Hungarian books in preparation for our trip there two years ago. Plus, I saw a copy at the library (although I didn’t add it to the books I was checking out).

3. Bittersweet, by Susan Wittig Albert

This one actually did come home. I was looking for a book with a Thanksgiving setting and found a mystery by an author with whom I was familiar.

4. The Smell of Other People’s Houses, by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock

Enthusiastically recommended by the Unshelved comics reader crew.

5. Your Presidential Fantasy Dream Team, by Daniel O’Brien

Also recommended by Unshelved. Plus, in their categories from which to choose your presidents, they have a Roosevelt category.

6. They Can’t Kill Us All: Ferguson, Baltimore, and a New Era in America’s Racial Justice Movement, by Wesley Lowery

Because I have hopes that the attention being played to the #BlackLivesMatter movement will help bring about meaningful change.

7. A Warrior of the People: How Susan La Flesche Overcame Racial and Gender Inequality to Become America’s First Indian Doctor, by Joe Starita

I was a women’s studies minor in college, so I have a special place in my heart for books like this.

8. The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog, by Adam Gidwitz
   I enjoyed his A Tale Dark and Grim, and thought its comparison to The Canterbury Tales seemed promising.

9. Unseen City: The Majesty of Pigeons, the Discreet Charm of Snails & Other Wonders of the Urban Wilderness, by Nathanael Johnson

I live in a city, but hadn’t heard about this book until I saw it was nominated for a Goodreads award.

10. Fields Where They Lay, by Timothy Hallinan

I haven’t read any of the Junior Bender mysteries, and they may prove to be too violent for me, but this one is Christmas-themed, which is hard for me to resist at least trying.

How about you? What books have you recently added to your TBR list?

I’m sure no one here is surprised, but I’ll be casting my presidential vote for Hillary Clinton tomorrow.

Hillary has long championed an affordable health care system here in the U.S., women’s and girls’ rights around the world, and a moderate Middle East. She was an able Senator for New York and a fierce Secretary of State. And my mom, who volunteered in the White House during Bill Clinton’s presidency, has great respect for Hillary as a politician and as a person. (This is just a little thing, but she once mentioned that if Hillary noticed lowly volunteers trying to photograph her during events, she’d pause and look directly at them so they could get a good shot). Is she the perfect candidate? No, but I think her faults fall within the reasonable margin of error.

Add to that, the barrel-bottom-scraping candidate that the Republicans have put up on their side of the ticket — one who unfurls his banner beneath fear and bigotry and suspicion of our neighbors. While it’s true that Trump himself probably isn’t quite as bad as the media makes him out to be, he spews hatred and champions fear in both his platform and his supporters.

Lines at polls around the country are expected to be long. Please know that as long as you are already in line when the polls in your community close you must be allowed to vote, so don’t leave the line. If you don’t show up as registered, even though you should be, as long as you’re at the correct polling place, ask for a provisional ballot, and be assured your vote will still count. Know your rights as a voter and know the rights of others. And, please, if you see someone being treated unfairly, speak up in person and get in touch with poll watchers at your voting location or call 866-OUR-VOTE to get outside assistance.

America, if you’re able to vote, please cast your ballot for Hillary and for the things that are best about us, rather than the things that make us seem small. History has its eyes on you: do us proud.

Seeing Tasha pop up in my comments yesterday reminded me that I’d like to give some thought to the Virtual Advent Tour:

For five years, I took part in a Virtual Advent Tour, where bloggers, predominantly of the bookish variety, composed posts about their holiday season and, throughout December, we’d go to their blogs to read about favorite holiday customs, foods, songs, celebrations, movies, books, memories, and traditions (from the past, as well as current ones).

After a year of there being no tour, last year I decided rather at the last minute (like, on December 1) to run a version myself, and some people — like Mikaiya, raidergirl3, Tasha, and others — were kind enough to pitch in to help me out. But, I started late and didn’t get the word out enough and there were neither enough people to really help with the writing nor with the reading of the posts to make it feel like a success. What I discovered is that while it’s challenging to come up with the topic for one day, it’s exhausting coming up with 18 or so. And, by the end, I’d put out six or so good quality posts, republished all my previous holiday posts, and thrown together six crappy ones that I felt bad about publishing.

So, I’m going to put out feelers now to see if we can get a bigger pool of people interested in participating this year so that it’s fun for everyone. My hope is that other bloggers and vloggers (bookish, knitterly, personal, etc.) would like to take part and that you will be willing to share your own winter holiday post one day next month. You’d know the date ahead of time (and can request one if you’d like), your post can be as simple or as complex as you’d like, and there’s no need to tell me what you’re going to write about in advance. (In case you’re wondering what one might share, during the first five years I took part, I wrote about an annual tuba concert, a Christmassy book, a weird Canadian cartoon from the ’70s, a cookie recipe, making a Christmas mix, and D.C.’s Christmas scene.) Also, despite the name and the associated tradition, this isn’t restricted to those who celebrate Christmas: if you celebrate a different winter holiday or have a another December festivity you’d like to share, you’re welcome to participate, too. I love reading about others’ celebrations.

If this sounds like a fun thing you think you’d like to take part in, please leave me a comment below letting me know. I’m going to see what sort of response we get between now and November 15 November 18. and will make a call at that point. If we have enough interest, I’ll go forward with organizing it in the latter half of the month. Also, if you like the idea of the Virtual Advent Tour, even if you don’t want to commit to writing a post yourself, please circulate a link to this post to your social networks over the next 10 days to help spread the word. I hope to have good news for everyone later this month. Thanks in advance!