We have entered very dark waters but let us not lose hope. Every day I wake with a sense of dread but by mid-day, I am fighting, spitting mad over the state of our country. There are many good people out there and I believe that good will triumph over bad. We have to believe that.
I have a few friends who are on the fence about voting. This is no longer Democrat vs. Republican. Heck, here’s some trivia for you. I used to be a Republican. I digress. Anyway, some are considering not voting. Not voting equates to a vote for the current administration. There are some issues that I feel need attention but I can’t turn a blind eye to how this current administration treats people in general. The name-calling, hiding behind religion when it fits the agenda, the lies, and backing QAnon conspiracy theories takes the cake. Oh, and I didn’t even mention the pandemic.
Think about that.
Right Now:
If I can get everyone up early enough, I am hoping to hit a new breakfast spot that my daughter found on Instagram. Later today, my youth group meets for frozen yogurt (outside, masks and distanced).
This Week:
Not much planned. I have been slowly going through my garage which has become a dumping ground for the unwanted. I made some progress last week and hope to continue this week.
Because I am over the max for vacation time, I have this Friday and the following Monday off which I completely forgot about. I also have to put in more requests for time off for the holidays. A good problem to have. Of course, now that my son is in school and working full time I am not sure what Thanksgiving and Christmas will be like for him. Not sure he will be able to come home.
Reading:
I fell into a little slump this past week so not much reading done. I will be reading Don’t Look For Me if I can pull my eyes away from the news.
Watching:
Still watching Ratched on Netflix and it is good. It’s so beautifully shot and even though it’s a little much, it is exactly what you need if you want to be entertained.
I have seen a few of you mention The Home Edit. I love to organize and streamline so that may be my next show to watch.
Grateful for:
- My son’s house that he is renting with his classmates was tented this weekend for termites. So grateful that the hotel he works at gave him a discounted rate so he’d have a place to go for three days.
- The sunlight streaming through my window. After those smoky skies, I am soaking up every drop of sunshine I can.
- Arnold Palmers. Because of the COVID 15 I gained, I have not been having wine so now and then I will enjoy an Arnold Palmer and the one I enjoy is low sugar. Nothing screams end of summer like a good iced tea / lemonade drink.
What has kept you busy these days? I started a notebook filled with easy dinner ideas so that when I go to the market I can just pick a few and shop accordingly. I tried it this past weekend and it worked great. Less stress.
Have a good week!
Book Chatter 
Dark days indeed. I can’t fathom not voting in these times.
I like your idea of easy dinner ideas. I may need to create such a page in my bullet journal.
Haven’t heard of The Home Edit but it sounds like I could use it.
Hope you have a good week!
The Home Edit show, the Home Edit book and I guess they have a partnership with The Container Store because everything they use on the show is from there, it seems.
Not voting. Many want to but they are losing hope and feeling discouraged. Thinking that their vote won’t count and we can’t allow that to happen.
My family has been lifelong Democrats but, I admit once donating to the Republican Party and voting for a Republican President. That being said, if Trump was a democratic president, I’d surely vote Republican in Nov. It’s about empathy and being a decent human and caring about the country not deciding it…enough said.
Enjoy your extra time off. I like to organize too but, clutter seems to always find its way back😢
And this weekend’s breaking news about taxes make this all of this political muck even more difficult to navigate.
Enjoy your time off! As Diane said, as much as I can declutter, it returns and brings friends. 😜. Just started Queenie – still on the fence about it.
I did enjoy the Sea Wife by Amity Gage, lots of sailing – which was fun to read about.
Dark times, but I’m holding onto the good. I want everyone to vote for decency this year, but I don’t think that will happen. I’m pessimistic — hard not to be.
I tried that chicken recipe you posted a few weekends ago with a couple modifications, and it was delicious. I’ll probably make that again, though maybe with pasta instead of mashed potatoes.
I haven’t read much but I finally finished The Daughter of Black Lake by Cathy Marie Buchanan. Very good read. Review coming in October.
I think that chicken recipe would also be good over polenta. I still have half of it in the freezer for another meal since I made a double batch.
Dark times and with the tax news that broke over the weekend I am not feeling good about any of it.
We created a recipe binder a few months back of the recipes we all enjoy the most. Now, each Friday, we sit down and choose the week’s menu and I create my grocery shopping list. It has made life so much easier! We used to hit the grocery stores multiple times a week, but now I only want to go once.
A binder would be better. I shall think about that.
The journal idea for dinners is really good – think I’ll use it too.
Now that the weather is a little cooler, I’ve been in the garden this past week. Still so much work to do there before the snow flies!
I think living outside the USA helps my mood tremendously, but maybe I’m naive not to be more concerned with what’s happening “stateside”. As a Canadian politician (Pierre Elliot Trudeau?) once observed: living next to the US is like sleeping with an elephant.
I have many friends who live in other countries and they commiserate with me often. I have some yard work to do but it’s over 100 this week and tomorrow and into the weekend 104. Nope. Not going to even attempt that. Although I am having a friend over for coffee Friday morning. Outside and distanced. Something to look forward to.
I work every day on my mood. I focus on the good. We make a point to walk past one of the two Biden signs in my small town each morning, and I try to ignore the T signs that are popping up like mushrooms after a rain. I speak out against untruth whenever I get the opportunity. And I urge people to vote. We can’t allow people to sit back any longer.
I’ve requested two of the Home Edit books from my library. And now I’ll look for the show. I’m an organization fiend and I think this will be fun.
I like your list of things you are grateful for. Making a list like that helps me more than almost anything else.
Have a great week, Ti. Enjoy your days off.
I never realized it before but the town I live in in nearly all pro-Trump. The flags are all over and they even drive around with them attached to their cars. The other night I met my youth group outside for frozen yogurt and there was a BLM protest going on. I had no idea. I was worried when counter-protesters showed up. I mean, I had all these young people and then that happens. It was fine. Lots of cars zipping past but every time I heard an engine rev I was ready to move them to another location. You can’t be too sure anymore of what will happen.
The debate. Will you watch? The tax news did me in yesterday but I will be glued to the TV tonight.
That’s a good idea about a notepad with dinner ideas / I need that! As for people Not Voting — it drives me nuts. I actually can’t really believe it. I too came across a person I play tennis with — an American up here — who apparently didn’t plan to Vote (i learned this via text) … and I’m just like whhaaaat? It’s Inexcusable! It’s dangerous! it’s worthless! Ugh I think it’s a load of crap. I just mailed in my absentee ballot ($43) from here UPS with tracking … b/c I didn’t want to get screwed that they didn’t get it etc. I didn’t want Canadian Post/US mail to sabotage it etc. I plan to ask her to please vote when I see her next. duh!
After this weekend’s COVID spectacle at the WH, many have given up hope. I continue to encourage people to vote and not vote third party. Not voting or voting for a third party is a vote for a certain something who shall not be named. My ballot is complete. I am going to hand deliver it to a voting box, the one next to our Sheriff’s department. The others are in parks of all places!! No security or cameras.