sprite writes
broodings from the burrow

June 12, 2020


missive, outdoors, and face to face
posted by soe 1:42 am

Rose

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. An email from the four-year-old daughter of our friends.

2. Spending time in the park.

3. Meeting up with Sarah at the protest last Saturday.

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

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June 11, 2020


unraveled in early june
posted by soe 1:07 am

Unraveled in June

I’m about a third of the way into Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, about a grieving Chicago boy spending his summer on his grandparents’ farm who discovers the Black and African folktales his grandmother has raised him on actually exist in a parallel universe and that he, as the latest in a line of powerful storytellers, may be needed to save both worlds. So far I’m really enjoying it and recommend it to anyone, like me, who is woefully versed in this folk tradition or whose tenuous knowledge comes largely from a certain Disney film.

I continue to be an unmotivated knitter. I finished the leg of my second Smock Madness, which means I have about eight hours of knitting left before this becomes a wearable pair of socks. And yet…

Normally, I’d be considering a couple new projects right about now, in advance of the Summer Olympics and the Tour de France, but it feels like I should trudge through some of these older projects and get them crossed off. Sadly, that’s also the story of my work life, which may be contributing to my reluctance to pick up my knitting. Finishing anything at this point would probably go a long way toward making me feel more productive on all fronts, so hopefully I will power through.

Head to As Kat Knits to see projects and books from people who do not have this frustrating lack of ambition in their work.

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June 10, 2020


midweek music: ‘if not now’
posted by soe 1:28 am

Tracy Chapman performing “If Not Now” live back in 1998:

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June 9, 2020


top 10 books i’ve forgotten why i want to read
posted by soe 1:32 am

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday from That Artsy Reader Girl asks us about the Top Ten Books I’ve Added to My TBR and Forgotten Why. I’ve added more than 3,100 titles to my list of books I’d like to read since I first joined Goodreads more than a dozen years ago. Obviously they sounded interesting at the time…

  1. The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton
  2. Sororophobia: Differences Among Women in Literature and Culture by Helena Michie
  3. How to Pick a Peach by Russ Parsons
  4. Ali and Nino by Kurban Said
  5. The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfield
  6. Tallulah Falls by Christine Fletcher
  7. The September Sisters by Jillian Cantor
  8. Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden
  9. The Pull of the Moon by Elizabeth Berg
  10. The Invisible Mountain by Carolina De Robertis

Have you read any of these books?

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June 8, 2020


notes from the garden: may & early june 2020
posted by soe 1:14 am

Early June Garden

I didn’t give an update on the garden last month, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t going. Thank goodness, right?

This shot was before Rudi and I did some work today. Rudi pulled out a lot of weeds and planted some new seedlings. We now have half a dozen basil plants, a half dozen tomatoes, several peppers, a zucchini, and a cucumber in addition to the plethora of herbs and spring veggies. I harvested the rest of the arugula today, unearthing a bed of lettuce beneath it and will probably pull the spinach later this week. I will need to thin the sorrel again. (more…)

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June 7, 2020


black lives matter
posted by soe 1:24 am

Black Lives Matter

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