Sunday Matters

It’s getting harder with each passing day to not be angry about what is going on in our country. Can’t we all be decent to one another? Every. Single. Day. There is something. I am exhausted. Are you? When it gets to be too much, I take a break from it but then I wake up and it begins all over again. I think I’ve hit my limit.

How are you coping? I’d like to say with confidence that we will all get through this and come out on the other side better for it. I have my doubts, though.

Right Now:

My Sundays have been pretty much the same since we shut down. It tends to be an errand day but I think I need to rethink that. Now that youth group meets in the evening if I take the day to do errands I feel as if the day has gotten away from me.

This Week:

On Monday my daughter is going to school to take her ID photo. They are shooting for an October return. The date has already changed once. It would be nice for her, as a senior, to have a little bit of a senior year to remember in a traditional sense but I can’t see them going back that soon.

She was supposed to have a choir concert this week. Not happening of course although they are doing something virtually that might be totally unrelated. I hear a lot of singing.

College applications are still in process. Filming equipment is all over my house. Looks like a set for Big Brother.

Reading:

I finished Kindred for a discussion. I also finished Heart-Shaped Box for R.I.P.

I am so close to finishing The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James. I am reading it for R.I.P. and it’s so, so good. I’m reading it along with Don’t Look For Me. I couldn’t decide which to read first so I decided to read them both.

Watching:

Ratched. Yep, that would be Nurse Ratched to you. It’s not getting good reviews at all. Visually, it’s stunning. I will reserve judgment until I am further in.

Grateful for:

Bev Cooks Chicken and Mushrooms — Photo Credit: Bev Cooks Blog

The Braised Chicken with Mushrooms and Shallots meal above. It was easy and delicious and decadent. I served it over mashed potatoes. I added some white wine to the cooking broth. I needed a change of pace because I am so over cooking.
My daughter received another college acceptance (academically) but still has to submit the pre-screen for her audition.
New planners!! I ordered a new Passion Planner for 2021. Here’s to a better year!

All the political nastiness in the world has forced me to re-evaluate my friend groups on social media. It’s depressing. To remain sane, it has to be done though so I am taking some of the weekend to deal with that.

I hope you all have a good week. Cook something extra special, buy a new fall candle, go Marie Kondo on a closet to start the season anew. I will do the same.

Sunday Matters

By now, you’ve heard that the entire West coast is burning. It started here with a Gender Reveal gone wrong, and then continued Northwest and I can’t even tell you how many fires there are or how many structures lost. The skies here are yellow and it feels like the end of the world. I keep thinking about Chicken Little and “the sky is falling!”

This is the Bay area which is much worse than where we are:

Right Now:

This week was hard for a number of reasons so I plan to focus on self-care today. I am at the point in this pandemic where I am “done” with it but of course, you can’t be done with a pandemic until it’s done with you!

Halloween was cancelled for LA County and then later that day they walked it back and said it was not banned but not recommended. My neighborhood is always packed with van loads of kids and parents strolling around with wine. I want to join in but I don’t want to die so if we hand out candy I will probably do some sort of table setup and just supervise from afar.

This Week:

We are deep into the college application process and will continue to be this week and probably all of September and part of October. We visited a couple of schools this past weekend but most of the schools my daughter is interested in are out of state.

I just realized I need to read a book for a discussion this week. It’s Kindred by Octavia Butler. I better get on that.

It was announced on Thursday that the Cal State Universities will be virtual for Spring 2021. I expected it but at the same time it was like a punch in the gut. This decision affects my campus as well as my son’s. He is fine with it. I don’t know if that means I will remain at home though.

Reading:

As I mentioned above, I will be reading Kindred here pretty soon for a discussion but I just finished Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill and should have the review up soon. Wowie! That book gave me all the Halloween vibes.

I think I may also read Wendy Walker’s new one, Don’t Look For Me.

Watching:

Ratched comes out on Netflix this week (9/18)! Yes, that’s NURSE Ratched to you. I cannot wait! I need something to pull me away from the news.

Grateful for:

We got our flu shots on Friday. Grateful to have gotten them early.
Instagram cooking Reels. I’ve been browsing some simple meal ideas and it’s giving me hope. SO tired of planning what to cook but lately these short videos have been helpful.
Like-minded friends who get where I am coming from politically. I am not at ALL into politics but for this election, how can you not be? I am voting for decency this term. Period.

Tell me something that is going on in your life. Something I can pray for or something great that has happened recently. I’ve felt very disconnected from everyone this week even though I try so hard to connect with others.

To be honest, I believe I am sick of myself.

Chatting with friends about books and life…