Work is in a period of flux right now, and I am giving seriously thought to what’s important to me career-wise. I’m thinking about what I’d like out of a job. About what I’d like for the people I’d manage. And what I’d like from those who manage me.

I’m not sure that the impending changes are going to check all those boxes. It’s possible that they will — that after the uncomfortableness of something new will eventually come satisfaction. And I know time is required for that to happen.

I am trying to use the yoga technique of breathing into the tightness.

But it just feels like I do a lot of deep sighing instead.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday from That Artsy Reader Girl invites us to share the new releases we’re most looking forward to in the next six months:

1. Miss Moriarty, I Presume?, by Sherry Thomas (November)
2. Any Way the Wind Blows, by Rainbow Rowell (July)
3. Incense and Sensibility, by Sonali Dev (July)
4. Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World, by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (October)
5. Under the Whispering Door, by TJ Klune (September)
6. Fast Pitch, by Nic Stone
7. If the Shoe Fits, by Julie Murphy (August)
8. Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche, by Nancy Springer (August)
9. The Lincoln Highway, by Amir Towles (October)
10. Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village, by Maureen Johnson (September)

How about you? Are there any books coming out before the end of the year you’re particularly excited about?

My peas are drying up and the lettuces have reached their teenage years — tall and gangly. We’ve reached the summer gardening season just in time for the July heat to kick in.

Other people have the ability to have space in between their plants and to separate, weed, and clear things out with ruthless efficiency. I like my violets too much, so I tug their leaves when they get too tall, which just means they send up new ones the following month. Things grow, and because I don’t know for sure if they’re weeds or cultivated plants, I just leave them. All this is to say that my garden inevitably looks highly messy, but it’s just jammed full of goodness.

I mean, look at all these greens!

The cucumbers, peppers, and squash are growing (Mum, the cucumber is the one I bought before I came north, not the ones we split).

My next round of flowers are getting ready to blossom:

I’m harvesting the celery I planted back in the spring, and I brought home two of the everbearing strawberries for Rudi. (I ate the other one — so sweet!) The lemon balm has gotten out of control. Anyone have any recommendations for things to do with it?

And my bronze fennel will be attracting lots of pollinators:

It’s good to be a gardener!

Count me as the rider crossing the finish line just in front of the sag wagon on Day #1 of the Tour, but a little start is still a start after all.

This is Fully Charged. The colors are a bit washed out in the lamplight, but the pink is Periwinkle Sheep Watercolors in Hot Mama and the green is Kelbourne Woolens Perennial in Neon Lime. The latter has a little alpaca in it, so I’m making it the more background color, since I think it will fuzz a bit and soften the colorwork. We’ll find out if it was a terrible choice.

With June wrapping up next week (seriously, already, again?!), I’m trying to squeeze a lot in to the next couple days:

• Cast on a new shawl for the Tour de France knitalong.
• Go to the library.
• Water the garden.
• Swim.
• Find raspberries and apricots at the farmers market.
• Do some work.
• Read outside.
• Watch a dvd. (Ammonite is overdue to the library.)
• Listen to some music outdoors.
• Do laundry.

What’s on your weekend to-do list?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. The Strawberry Full Moon stands out vibrantly against the evening sky.

2. Fireflies hit critical mass, and you can see them sending each other coded messages from every hedgerow, front garden, and field. One even finds its way into the apartment, much to the fascination of Corey.

3. Our basket of blueberries from last Friday’s pick-your-own adventure sits out on the counter, allowing us to grab a handful every time we walk past and encouraging their addition to everything from pancakes to salads to yogurts. It’s been a delicious week.

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