Sunday, August 9, 2020

Week In Review: It's August?!

 I'm not sure where the time is going? Living in a pandemic warps time and we're all feeling it so somehow it seems even more pronounced than usual. Summer is usually marked off by how we got out of the house and had some fun. We usually visit our friends in Washington for a week or so in July. June is still warming up from spring so we can get a lot more outside time in. It's my birthday so we usually have some fun that weekend. Gabe usually has a physical summer camp or two. August ends up being pretty hot so we usually do a camping trip with some friends towards the end of the month and sometimes in September. In between all of that we usually get some hikes in with friends. Brunch usually happens once a month with friends. Outdoor neighborhood barbecues usually happen a couple times each month. And throw in some museums, bowling, and movie outings, swimming trips, summer is usually full of fun and entertainment. Usually is the keyword. We didn't quite get that this summer...

We had planned on one outing for this weekend but with the continual illness of our cat Nala we weren't able to. She's been having seizures and we finally got her on some anti-seizure medication a few days ago and not one since Thursday morning! We're taking it day by day with a recheck and assessment in September. We are hoping we can figure out a cause. Because if it's actually a form of epilepsy, she will be on those pills for the rest of her life, which makes leaving for any great length of time impossible. Right now we can handle it. But I'm hoping it's only temporary.

So this has been an unusual summer. I'm trying to look for things to look forward to for our little family. We plan game and move nights. I prepare extra special meals from time to time. We may even try for an arts and crafts fair that is happening each Saturday up north. 

And now it's time to start school...we've opted for online only this year. It starts a week from Tuesday. While I don't feel my state has done enough to combat the virus, I truly feel that his school has been doing their best to be accessible with how everyone feels comfortable. Plus our numbers are going down since more people are wearing masks and taking it seriously (though, not enough).

This is all to say that we have not been doing our usual this summer. Getting outside has been a lot harder this summer. I miss the hikes and camping trips and getting out into nature. So we just make do the best we can. 


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This is what we've been doing inside...forts, foxes, and boxes


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My cat was sitting on the back of the couch with the sun coming through and I decided the shadow play was appropriate. I'm hurting for pics around this time...ha!

Three Good Things:

1. Nala is actually feeling better since we figured out she has been having seizures and she is on anti-seizure medicine and no seizures now for two whole days!

2.  We celebrated Lammas/Lughnadsah/First Harvest this weekend. I made some no-knead bread, ate chicken and veggie kebabs, and fruit kebabs. We plan on having a fire pit celebration soon depending on the weather and burning our dried sage and giving thanks for the first harvest of the season.

3. I got out of the house this morning. It was cool and quiet. I needed to drop of my library books and I got a breakfast sandwich and a latte to go. Just what I needed.

Reading:

I finished The Shadows by Alex North and Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker.


I'm still reading What Language Is: And What It Isn't and What It Could Be by John McWhorter, How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi,  Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi, Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude Jr., and with Gabe I'm reading the third book in the His Dark Materials series The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman. I'm also listening to Braiding Sweet Grass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. I had a hard time reading last week so I started a couple of others. I'll get through all of these one day! Ha!

Still reading those above! I also started Devolution: Firsthand Account of the Ranier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks

Watching: 

Movies:


I watched You Should Have Left with Kevin Bacon. Not bad at all. A little hokey the last third but a satisfying ending. I rented this on demand with Vudu.

TV:                                              

I'll be finishing up Perry Mason on HBO this week and TNT's The Alienist. I also watched the entire first season of The Babysitter's Club on Netflix. It's a kids show with a G rating but I was so impressed with how they handled really tough and sensitive subjects. I think it's a must-watch for kids and their parents. Astounding.

This week: I've got plans to get Gabe ready for back-to-school. His school is hosting a virtual back-to-school night on Thursday. I'm also hoping to get some of my classes going again.

Looking forward to a hike! As long as Nala stays stable, we plan on heading out for an early morning hike on Thursday or Friday this week. Fingers are crossed.

Joining in with Readerbuzz's Sunday Salon

Monday, August 3, 2020

Mini Book Reviews: Stamped, Giovanni's Room...

Stamped: Racism, Anti-racism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
Published: March 10th, 2020 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genre: Young Adult, History, Non-fiction
Format: Hardcover, 294 Pages, Own
Rating: 4.5 stars

My Thoughts:

Jason Reynolds adapted Ibram X. Kendi's award-winning history book Stamped from the Beginning into a book for young adults. That book is almost 600 pages! So that's quite the condensing. Reynolds turns it into more of a dialogue about history and race and how it's all connected. Black history is American history. My son was probably a little too young for some of it since he didn't quite get some of the references. And the book came off very sarcastic--which makes sense if you're talking to someone face to face. That style will work most of the time but sometimes it felt a bit off. But I think it's an excellent book to start to understand, especially for young people, America's true history. There are lots of references and other sites to check out in the back. I'm also still working through Kendi's history book. Gabe and me had some excellent discussions. America needs to change how it teaches and discusses and talks about our history. We can't know how we got here if we don't truly understand what has happened.

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
Published: 1956
Genre: Modern Classic
Format: Kindle, 178 Pages, Own
Rating: 4 stars

My Thoughts:

Baldwin writes a beautiful and thoughtful novel on what it means to be gay and black in a world that doesn't really accept either, and especially not together. Giovanni's room haunts him and as us. Paris has never felt more sad or closed and encroaching than in this story.

"And these nights were being acted out under a foreign sky, with on one to watch, no penalties attached--it was this last fact which was our undoing, for nothing is more unbearable, once one has it, than freedom."

"Their decisions are not really decisions at all--a real decision makes one humble, one knows that it is at the mercy of more things than can be named--but elaborate systems of evasion, of illusion, designed to make themselves and the world appear to be what they and the world are not."

The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Published: October 11th, 2016 by Riverhead Books
Genre: Literary Fiction
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages, Library
Rating: 4 stars

My Thoughts:

We follow Nadia Turner from high school as she loses her mother to suicide and the consequences that follow. The themes throughout are about motherhood and what it means to choose or not choose to be a mother. We learn more about Nadia's mother and what made her tick. How her life changed when she became pregnant with Nadia. What if she hadn't kept her? Where would her mother be?

It's a short but powerful story. I look forward to her next one.

"...Upper Room had encircled the wailing mother and held her up, soundlessly, because hard deaths resist words. A soft death can be swallowed with Called home to be with the Lord or We'll see her again in glory, but hard deaths get caught in the teeth like gristle."

"We see the span of her life unspooling in colorful threads and we chase it, wrapping it around our hands as more tumbles out. She's her mother's age now. Double her age. Our age You're our mother. We're climbing inside of you."


A Kid's Guide to Native American History: More Than 50 Activities by Yvonne Wakim Dennis
Published: November 1st, 2009 by Chicago Review Press
Genre: Juvenile, Non-fiction, History
Format: Kindle, 256 Pages, Own
Rating: 4 stars

My Thoughts:

I read this out loud with Gabe. We've been diving into history together and this one talks about each Nation in the Americas. Culture, history, famous people. There are activities to do at the end of each chapter and lots of resources to learn more. I thought it was an excellent introduction to Native American history which is also American history.

Morning Girl by Michael Dorris
Published: 1990 
Genre: Juvenile, Historical Fiction
Format: Paperback, 80 Pages, Own
Rating: 4 stars

My Thoughts:

Dorris does a fantastic job of letting us experience Morning Girl, Star Boy, and their people on the Caribbean Islands before Columbus arrived and murdered them all. Gabe and I were both sad to learn about Michael Dorris' life. He died a few years after he wrote this book.

No Cats Allowed by Miranda James
Published: February 23rd, 2016 by Berkley
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Format: Paperback, 275 Pages, Own
Rating: 2 stars

My Thoughts:

I shouldn't be too hard on it but it was one of the more poorly written cozy mysteries I've read in awhile. This is number 7 in the series and I haven't read any others. But like a good cozy, you don't need to. The author catches us up on anything we need to know in various ways. The mystery is OK, nothing out of the ordinary. But I didn't like the protagonist. He's a do-gooder with no personality. His kids have no personalities. And it takes place in the south with some benevolent racism thrown in. Meh. Plus the cover has a tabby cat but his cat is a Maine Coon cat so false advertising. Even his girlfriend was someone he only talked to over the phone and it's all very chaste. I know there is an audience for super clean cozy mysteries, but I am not that audience. I got this as a gift so I just wanted to read something easy peasie. It wasn't good but it was OK.


The Oracle Code by Marieke Nijkamp
Published: March 10th, 2020 by DC Comics
Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel, Mystery
Format: Paperback, 208 Pages, Librart
Rating: 4 stars

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this one. It takes place in Batman's world. Commissioner Gordon's daughter is the ultimate hacker until one night she gets shot and her world changes forever. She ends up in a rehabilitation center where she hears voices in the walls and patients disappear overnight. It's a compelling mystery and it looks like the story will continue in more comics.

Sunday, August 2, 2020

July Movie Reviews

Hamilton

Best play ever. This is one you just throw on whenever you need a pick me up or don't know what to watch! Watch the documentary on his hip-hop comedy troupe Freestyle Love Supreme on Hulu. 

Wonder Park

A cute movie that deals with grief. It's Inside Out lite.

The Vote

Powerful documentary on the biggest movement in history to demand the right to vote. It doesn't gloss over how white women refused to work with black women and tried to leave them behind.

Palm Springs

I highly enjoyed this new take on the repeating day. Samberg and Milioti have great chemistry and it was a much-needed break from reality.

Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil

This was a surprisingly fun Basque movie. It's based on a Basque folk story and it was brilliantly executed! 

The Old Guard

I enjoyed this superhero movie. Lots of kick-ass characters. The plot was a bit derivative but overall a thoroughly enjoyable action movie.

Shirley

I loved this Gothic psychological drama based on a fictionalized story about Shirley Jackson and her life with her writer husband.

Devil's Gate

Was this a great movie? No. But it was entertaining. I enjoyed the twist.

Relic

This was a fantastic horror movie. It's a great metaphor for what it feels like as a loved one succumbs to Alzheimer's.

Offering to the Storm

This is the third and final installment in the Baztan trilogy. It's an original crime thriller series from Spain that takes place in Basque territory. It's so pretty but wow the plot is terrible. But you just can't look away from the train wreck.

Athlete A

I listened to the podcast that is basically this documentary. It's an awful thing to hear about but oh so necessary. How we fail our children due to money and prestige and reputation is disgusting. This is what we care about as a culture, winning over humanity. When we care about people first then we can see change. I don't know if I can ever watch Olympic women's gymnastics again until they are held accountable and I know their program has changed.

The Rental

This was a fun horror. It's not fantastic and the plot falls apart in the end but overall a great directorial debut for Dave Franco. This is the movie we need when we're fighting a pandemic and we need people to stay home! Don't leave your house.

Saturday, August 1, 2020

Week-in-Review: July

It's been a tough couple of weeks but things are looking up. Our sweet kittie Nala got really sick; we even had to take her up to the emergency vet. But it looks like her tonsils got infected with some extra tartar buildup. We already had an appointment to get her teeth cleaned and it seems to have done the trick. She is acting like her normal self now!

2020-07-25 21.45.08

Things are so different under a pandemic. We couldn't go into the building. We had a numbered stall we pulled into and called and checked her in from our car. After they took her in the building (the tech was gloved and masked and we were too), we waited in our car for three hours till they brought her back out. We never saw the vet who checked her out but talked with her on the phone. It's surreal.

Now that it looks like she's recovering we've finally made a plan to travel a few hours south and enjoy a couple nights away next weekend. It'll be good for us!

Three Good Things:

1. Nala is feeling better! I'm now sleeping a bit better and hoping next week I can finally feel a bit more normal.

2. NBA has restarted! The Utah Jazz won their first game by two and are set to play again in just a few minutes. This isn't the Jazz game but it's the Lakers and Clippers right after and I realized it would be a good idea to take a quick pic or two. All the players from both teams are kneeling during the anthem. It was a really powerful display on behalf of Black Lives Matter. Loved it

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3. It was my oldest brother's birthday last week so we were able to do a socially distanced visit and give him a card and sing. We also ate dinner on the weekend at the park with our friends. Gabe and my friend's son were able to chit-chat and catch up. It's the little things you gotta look forward to.

Reading:

I have finished Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin, The Mothers by Brit Bennett, The Oracle Code by Marieke Nijkamp, and No Cats Allowed by Miranda James.

I'm still reading What Language Is: And What It Isn't and What It Could Be by John McWhorter, How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi,  Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi, Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude Jr., and with Gabe I'm reading the third book in the His Dark Materials series The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman. I'm also listening to Braiding Sweet Grass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. I had a hard time reading last week so I started a couple of others. I'll get through all of these one day! Ha!

I'm planning on starting The Shadows by Alex North who wrote The Whispering Man last year and I really enjoyed it. Creepy and I need a little fun horror right now.

Watching: 

Movies:


I caught up on some horror this weekend and last weekend with the third movie in the Baztan trilogy on Netflix The Offering to the Storm and The Rental directed by Dave Franco.

TV:
I watched the docuseries on Netflix Athlete A about the abuse by Larry Nassar against young girls. Awful. I watched Little Fires Everywhere and Looking for Alaska on Hulu. I did not like the book Little Fires Everywhere but I thought the TV series was well done. The overall storyline I didn't buy but I liked the themes. Little Fires shows how color blindness doesn't work and how detrimental it can be. Looking for Alaska could have been a 4 or 5 hour series rather than 8 but I always enjoyed the book and its topics of death and grief.
Perry Mason on HBO has been pretty good. I've been enjoying the escape. TNT's The Alienist is also a great historical crime drama. It's gritty and violent and if you like that this is one for you! The second season is just as good as the first.

This week: I'm hoping I can get going again with some classes and other online learning. I took a couple of weeks off to deal with my kitty. We have some cleaning goals to get the basement cleaned up.

Looking forward to heading out of town for a couple of days next weekend. It's also Lammas today.
It's name comes from the Latin for Loaf Mass Day. But it was taken from the pagans to celebrate the first fruits and grains of the season. We will celebrate this week instead of today. I plan on making root veggies and chicken and baking some bread. We'll probably get our fire pit out and burn some sage we've harvested.
Joining in with Readerbuzz's Sunday Salon


Friday, July 24, 2020

Mid-year Faves

Looks like it's that time of year where everyone posts about their faves so far. I usually haven't done that but this year seems like a good year to start. Especially in the midst of world-wide pandemic and social unrest, it seems right to take an accounting halfway through the year... I feel like this year has a whole decade packed into it. I sometimes feel like I've aged that much over the last six months...

I've actually read more this year than last year at this time... it was slow-going during the initial shut-down back in March and April but I've found a groove.

I've read 54 books so far with 29 from male authors, 24 female, and 1 gender non-conforming author.

21 were non-fiction, with 31 being fiction.

20 of my reads were by non-white authors.

I gravitated towards a few pandemic books in April and May. Memoirs are still a favorite, mysteries, and horror, and juvenile fiction and young adult are always at the top. I read a lot with my son so I get those middle grade books read as well.

Mid-year Faves

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei
I read this one out loud with my son and it was poignant and informative. This should be a must-read in schools.

Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey
This is part of the Expanse series. Excellent.

In the Dream House: A Memoir by Carmen Maria Machado
A harrowing story of abuse. But the way she tells it is unlike any memoir I've read before.

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
Fantastic story. A truly unique storyline and characters.

I read this one along with my son. We both loved this story on Black folklore and African mythology. I love that Rick Riordan is sponsoring authors to write about the myths and stories they grew up with so a whole new audience can enjoy.

Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow
This was a rough book to read. But so important. Farrow is a fantastic storyteller.

It was very surreal to read this during the early stages of the pandemic...it's a must-read.

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
If you grew up in the 80s, this one is for you! Or even if you just enjoy a humorous horror with a new take on demon possession. Loved it!

There were some new ideas I did not know and I'm a linguistics major who took history of the English language in college. It was fascinating!

All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
I loved this memoir on Johnson's experience of being a gay black man. He especially writes for other gay boys and gives some good sex advice. It's another must-read. 

New Kid by Jerry Craft
This is an excellent graphic novel on a black kid's experience in a mostly white private school. My son and I were able to have great discussions about racism and microaggressions.

Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America by Stacey Abrams
Yes to Stacey Abrams. She gives us a rundown of voter suppression, past and present and what we need to do to get a fair America. She has my vote.

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
I love everything by Attica Locke. Her writing is gorgeous and her characters are real. She writes thinky crime/mystery books. The best kind.

Thursday, July 23, 2020

Cat Thursday-- Hot Summer


Welcome to the weekly meme (hosted by Michelle at True Book Addict) that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite lolcat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats!

Other than a nice cool day yesterday, it has been nothing but hot. We are definitely in the throws of summer!






Thursday, July 16, 2020

Cat Thursday--Outdoor Kitties!


Welcome to the weekly meme (hosted by Michelle at True Book Addict) that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite lolcat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats!

Caught my cats Shadow and Nala chilling on the porch during their outdoor time and Shadow loves my son's window and will put her little paw arm up on the sill and watch the birdies outside. So cute.

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Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke


Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
Published: September 10th, 2017 by Mulholland Books
Genre: Mystery, Crime Fiction
Format: Kindle, 320 Pages, Own
Rating: 4 stars

Publisher's Summary:

When it comes to law and order, East Texas plays by its own rules--a fact that Darren Mathews, a black Texas Ranger, knows all too well. Deeply ambivalent about growing up black in the lone star state, he was the first in his family to get as far away from Texas as he could. Until duty called him home.

When his allegiance to his roots puts his job in jeopardy, he travels up Highway 59 to the small town of Lark, where two murders--a black lawyer from Chicago and a local white woman--have stirred up a hornet's nest of resentment. Darren must solve the crimes--and save himself in the process--before Lark's long-simmering racial fault lines erupt.

A rural noir suffused with the unique music, color, and nuance of East Texas, Bluebird, Bluebird is an exhilarating, timely novel about the collision of race and justice in America.

My Thoughts:

I truly felt immersed in the heat and the long highway of the eastern Texas town of Lark. It's a place you can look up on Google Maps and travel along the highway to the small farm roads and small-town oppression. Darren Matthews, a Black Texas Ranger must wage his way through race and justice.

From the murders of an out-of-town Black northerner and a local White woman Locke interweaves the tug and pull of systemic racism and criminal justice in America. It's a slow-burn. We get to know Darren and why he's picked being a Ranger rather a lawyer. How his marriage is one the verge of collapse because he's chosen police work. He joins because of his Uncle William who pretty much raised him like a father. According to him "...the law would save us by protecting us--by prosecuting crimes against us as zealously as it prosecutes crimes against whites." But his other uncle Clayton, the defense lawyer, said: "the law is a lie black folks need protection from--a set of rules that were written against us from the time ink was first set to parchment."

The mystery of who Michael was and why he came down from Chicago to see Geneva in her tiny cafe off the side of the highway and how the murdered white woman Missy comes into is fantastic. Locke is able to weave a true history of race relations in that could be in any small southern town; systemic racism that cuts through generations.

Here are some quotes just to get a feel of what kind of writer Locke is:

"Most black folks living in Lark came from sharecropping families, trading their physical enslavement for the crushing debt that came with tenant farming, a leap from the frying pan into the fire, from the certainty of hell to the slow, hot torture of hope."

"Maybe justice was messier than Darren realized when he'd first pinned a badge to his chest; it was no better or worse than a sieve, a cheap net, a catch-as-catch-can system that gave the illusion of righteousness when really the need for tidy resolution trumped sloppy uncertainty any day."

If you love mystery, noir, crime fiction, and a realistic world of race and justice in America, Locke's books are absolutely must-reads.

Monday, July 13, 2020

Week-in-Review: We Got Outside!

I don't know what I was thinking but I tried to get my family and I out on a trail to hike on the 4th of July. It was pandemonium! No parking anywhere, people everywhere and no one was wearing a mask! Needlesstosay, we headed home; but we took the long road home to see the beautiful mountains.

We enjoyed a very low-key 4th just eating chicken kebabs and drinking mojitos and playing in the field with the kiddie pool and staying cool. In the evening we enjoyed watching fireworks with some neighbors. Though, we did see a fire start on the mountain right by us but the fire department put it out quickly. I could tell people spent a lot on fireworks because I have never seen so many go off for so long with hardly any breaks in between. It was a consistent show for about two hours all around us. Thankfully, our area was in a no fireworks zone so we could just relax and watch everyone else's.

But I still wanted to get out for a hike with the family so we picked a time mid-week and headed back up into the mountains! It was a lot better. Hardly anyone was there so we just enjoyed Nature. My son only complained on the way back because he got his shoes and socks wet at the waterfall...I knew it would be miserable to hike back with wet feet and socks.

2020-07-10 11.28.50

A beautiful morning up Stewart Falls in Provo Canyon!

Three Good Things:

I'm trying to be better with this... Some days it's tough right now.

1. I made zucchini bread and it was amazing!

2. Getting out for a hike was just what I needed last week. I'm grateful we live relatively close to some gorgeous mountains for some gorgeous hikes when we can.

3. I'm grateful we were able to make time for family this weekend. We played Rock Band on the Xbox and watched some great movies. We needed it!

Reading:

I have finished 3 books since my last update: Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America by Stacey Abrams, Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke, and Stamped: Racism, Anti-racism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi. I'll get these reviews up soon. All were really fantastic!

I'm still reading What Language Is: And What It Isn't and What It Could Be by John McWhorter, How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi,  Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi, Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin, The Mothers by Brit Bennett, and with Gabe I'm reading the third book in the His Dark Materials series The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

I'm still hoping to finish off the Xenogenesis series this month by Octavia Butler and start the End of Policing by Alex S Vitale. But I have a couple others on my radar too that just got into my hands. Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

Watching: 


The Vote on PBS was fantastic. It's a two-part series on the STRUGGLE for women's rights to vote. I loved the way they brought in diverse voices. It didn't just tell the perspective of White women. We learned about Black suffragists and their struggle to be heard by the movement. It took over 70 years to get the vote and even that was by a vote or two or it would've been even longer...

Movies:

My favorite has been Hamilton on Disney+. Such fantastic music. We watched Wonder Park on Hulu with Gabe last week. It was cute. Me and the hubsters watchedon Palm Springs (Hulu) and The Old Guard (Netflix) over the weekend. And for my horror fix I watched a surprisingly fun gem Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil (Netflix). It's a Basque film and it was a fun one. Just what I needed last week.


TV:

Netflix has a Japanese series called Ju-on: Origins. It only has six episodes about 30 minutes each so I was able to get it done relatively quickly. It was silly with a few jump scares. If you're a fan of Japanese horror and specifically The Grudge or Ju-on, I'd definitely recommend this one. And I finally finished up season 4 of Insecure on HBO, which was fantastic as always. I just started Stateless on Netflix. It's a short season so I'll be finishing it up this week.

This week: This week we'll be picking up our second farm CSA fruits and veggie basket. I think we're getting corn, potatoes, beets/carrots, and some peaches, and zucchini. We picked up our first basket two weeks ago and it was fantastic. We got cherries, which Gabe and the DH devoured quickly. We got beets, lettuce, radishes, and zucchini. I've never had beets before or much in the way of radishes! We've eaten a lot of salads and I learned how to roast beets and radishes and make up interesting cucumber salads. I love getting new things; it forces me to try new recipes and get more veggies into our diet. Roasting corn is happening later this week! Zucchini bread was also made this weekend. Yum.

Our local second-hand store is taking donations again so we're getting stuff together and cleaning out items, books, and clothes and giving them a new home, finally.

Looking forward getting a haircut on Tuesday, picking up our fresh veggies from the farm, and picking up more books from my library later this week. And Saturday I'm social distancing with a friend at the park with coffee. That's always a plus!

Joining in with Readerbuzz's Sunday Salon
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