Another week of burning eyes, a scratchy throat, and constant worry that these could be symptoms of COVID-19 I'm feeling and not just the effects of the toxic air. By midweek, being trapped in our sealed up house had me feeling mentally and emotionally exhausted. Obviously that meant it was a great relief when a fall storm blew through late Friday evening and finally wiped out the lingering smoke. Over the two weeks we spent shrouded in smoke, summer gradually shifted towards fall, and Sunday afternoon, under blindingly blue skies we pulled pound after pound of perfectly ripened apples off the larger of the two trees in our backyard. Now that I don’t have to worry about the possibility of further contaminating the already stagnant air inside our house by baking, I’m now very much looking forward to experimenting with all things apple - pie, sauce, tart, muffin. If you have a favorite apple recipe you'd like to share, I'm open to suggestions for using up our bounty!
Read moreLife: Week 35
While this week wasn't quite as action-packed as the last, it was equally lovely. With Andy's sister visiting for the long weekend, we took the ferry to spend the day with both his sister and mom on Whidbey Island. Standing on the deck, watching the sun set, Andy and I realized that it was a view we hadn't enjoyed since February - one we'd greatly missed. We spent our Saturday mostly sitting on the deck, drinking wine, and relaxing together. It was a peaceful, low key way to spend the day, something we all needed. This year has just slipped by. I’ve barely enjoyed summer, and already Labor Day is here and soon it will be fall. Hopefully I manage to savor fall a bit more that I have summer!
Read moreLife: Week 33
The bruise colored sky of a welcome summer rainstorm
After the brief retreat of uncomfortably hot and humid weather, summer returned this week with extreme vengeance. Temperatures climbed to nearly 100°, leaving both me and my veggie garden feeling horribly wilted. Thankfully we had a dramatic summer storm roll in Friday evening, followed by a cooler, rainy Saturday. I was so happy to hear raindrops drumming on our covered patio that I ran outside to stand in the dark, soaking up every bit of the rainfall. The one upside of this latest heat wave — it ripened the first tiny but delicious plums from the unruly tree in our front yard. Still no progress on my many green tomatoes though. I may need to start searching for green tomato recipes!
Read moreLife: Week 32
This feels like a particularly peculiar moment to come back to weekly blog posts. With Covid-19 keeping me close to home, aside from the slow and subtle shift in seasons my life week to week changes very little. Then again, it seems that now more than ever I'll be thankful to have a record of the subtle shifts in my life through this pandemic. It’s also a reassuring reminder that, while so much remains unpredictable in the world right now, nothing will last forever. It may feel slow at times, but seasons change, and life goes on. Last week's heat wave broke, and over the course of this week, I found myself happily digging out more than one sweater I'd stashed in the back of my closet. We had a few delightfully rainy days, enough that I had the chance to do some Saturday morning weeding in a warm rain. The weeding was long overdue - our backyard has rapidly become a broad sea of yellow, and it feels as though I wouldn’t grow dandelions more effectively if I were to actively try!
Read moreLife: Week 30
Among the many things I’ve missed during this pandemic, trails are top of the list. While there hasn't really been any point over all the various closures and stay-home orders that I haven’t had at least some option for hiking, I just haven't felt comfortable with the risk of being around the large numbers of other people likely to be out on my favorite trails. Thankfully, as time as passed and we've learned more about how Covid-19 is and isn't spread, the growing consensus seems to be that the risk of spreading the virus is reduced outdoors. Armed with that knowledge - and not one but two options for face coverings! - I finally felt comfortable joining a small group of my Alpine Trails Book Club friends for an absolutely glorious hike. We met up at Ebey's Landing, a trail I've hiked many times. After so much time away, it felt like I was seeing the trail with new eyes and the combination of sun, ocean breezes, flowers, and the company of some of my favorite people was just what I needed.
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