I love the stormy grey skies, wind, and rain we've seen so much of recently, but part of me always mourns the last of the golden leaves and sunny skies. Soon there will (hopefully!) be days of frost and snow, but these wet transitional periods can feel so long. Partly because of the weather, I've fallen into a comfortable slump of knitting and reading and hardly venturing outside at all. It can be nice for a while, but I'm definitely getting antsy to get back out in the woods and mountains. Of course, before I know it, Christmas will be here, with all the baking and family gatherings. If I want to get outside, I'll definitely need to do it while I still have the time!
November in Books
I did a lot of reading this month! Between travel, power outages, and rainy weekends keeping me indoors, I've had lots of time for it. Most of what I read this month was very good, so it was a little hard to choose a favorite. Other than my one disappointment, I would highly recommend reading any of these books!
Best surprise: The Nightengale by Kristin Hannah This book is exactly the type I love most - heartbreaking and surprising and beautifully written. The story follows two estranged sisters struggling to survive in Nazi occupied France. While it's fiction, the characters and situations are all so well thought out and believable that it feels real. The hardships and tragedies they struggle with over the course of the war are all certainly situations women found themselves in. This book had me crying a few times. I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone!
Biggest disappointment: Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch Like last month, this was a book I'd looked forward to reading for a long time. The first few chapters were enjoyable; they read a like a more fantastical Dickens. Then the main character went to sea, and it turned in to the same thing for hundreds of pages. It took me almost two months to finish it, and it's not a long book. I even considered not finishing this one, which is something I almost never do.
Also read: The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K LeGuin The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown Nimona by Noelle Stevenson Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson Girl at War by Sara Nović Station Eleven by Hilary St John Mantel
Life: Week 47
Stocking up on candies for the Norwegian mitten advent calendar I finished just in time!
This week was packed with delicious meals, sunshine, and family. After work Wednesday, Andy and I hopped on a plane to spend a long weekend with his sister in the Bay Area for Thanksgiving. While there, I did a lot of reading and catching up with family, but most of my time was spent reading to and playing with my two year old niece. We had so many adventures!
And the food! Before Thanksgiving, by brother-in-law cooked some of his wonderful Texas-style chili, then there was Thanksgiving dinner itself, with two turkeys, four pies, and all my favorite sides. The night after our Thanksgiving dinner, we mixed the leftover chili with leftover turkey and sides, something I would highly recommend. Overall, it was an absolutely wonderful way to spend the holiday.
Life: Week 46
And then, suddenly, it's winter. Seriously, I didn't even have time to make the Game of Thrones - winter is coming reference. This week started with noticeably colder weather, then an intense storm that knocked out the power both at my work and at home. By the end of the week, the sunshine had returned, but Friday morning brought below-freezing temperatures and the first frost. After the storm, many of the trees are now bare, but there are still a few beautiful golden trees for me to admire - the last gasp of fall. I always miss the leaves once they're gone, so I'm trying to soak up all the color while it lasts.
The silver lining of cold and stormy weather keeping me indoors is that I've had lots of time for knitting. So far this month, I've finished two Christmas projects and my mini mitten advent calendar. There will definitely be more photos of that after Thanksgiving, once I start decorating for Christmas!
Life: Week 45
This week was, wet, dark, and stormy. It started off with a wonderful weekend relaxing on Whidbey Island. I did lots of reading, and made a pot of spiced cider that we drink throughout the weekend. The rest of the week, with these short, dark days I found it so much harder to take photos. Back in high school and college, when all I used was an inexpensive camera to shoot black and white film, I loved taking gloomy night photos. These days I'm so afraid of a little grain or distortion, that I never take those moody photos anymore. I'll be trying to find ways to use the low light over the next months.
Luckily, I did get to watch a few good sunsets from the office, and had a wonderful lunch visit from my niece (and my sister and mom!) to brighten up the gloomy week!