Sunday Happy

How you doing? The weather around here is fine fine fine these past few days. I’ll focus on that because the world has got me going and feeling all softs of ways right now and I can’t even. It is so much. But apples right? And sweaters. I pulled on a sweater for the first time in what felt like forever and it was just the best.

Another week. Started off with the usual camp, hike, kayak, and soup. (It never gets old). We found ourselves crawling into the tent little earlier then usual because it’s getting darker earlier, and fell fast asleep because it is not stupid hot at night anymore! Then we woke up, drank coffee, walked around in the dark, and came back to town.

Back to the world and I had the same thought I have every time… “Why did we come back?” I really should live in a hut in the middle of the forest. Haha, but for reals. Anyway I spent most of the week down in my studio, doing my thing, staying away from people. Everyone is getting sick and I am not having any of that, no thank you. I did have lunch with Barb though cause its Barb and I also picked up farm share, went on many walks, glazed some stuff at the studio, and ate another entire watermelon all to myself. I am getting pretty good at that, if I do say so myself.

So yeah, not very eventful in my little bubble and I am a ok with that.

It’s back to Sunday and we are going camping and feeling fine for it. Going to try and not think to much about much of anything and just take the day as it is, away from people, the news, the things and the stuff, and be happy amongst the trees. And drink all the coffee. I can already tell its gonna be a extra few cups kind of day today!

Internet from the week.

-Fuuuucck Texas and Fuuuuuuck the Supreme Court. The staggering implications of the Supreme Court’s Texas anti-abortion ruling

-I love this so much! Sprawling Paper-Pulp Mobiles by Yuko Nishikawa Suspend Whimsically Colored Pods in the Air

-This Road Trip Map Helps You Visit the 47 Iconic National Parks in the Shortest Time. Even if this country seems like a shit show right now, this is on the bucket list!

-I do it all the time. It Turns Out, You Can Store Tomatoes in the Fridge

-Just lovely. Dark, and Deep: An 1800s Victorian House in Nebraska, Restored Down to the Doorknobs

-If You Can’t Stand People Fidgeting, You May Have Misokinesia. Maaaaybe me?

-Dogs are so smart! Your Dog May Know If You've Done Something On Purpose, Or Just Screwed Up

-Oh to love or to hate the lady. I love her, I can’t help it. But believe everything, well not exactly. The Promises Martha Stewart Made—and Why We Wanted to Believe Them

-The Great British Pudding Mystery: What, Exactly, Is a Spotted Dick? And to think I thought it was just a spotted dick. HAHA!

Pictures from the week.

Sunday Happy

If you were not stupid hot this past week well then weren't you just the luckiest one. Me, I was on the verge of a god damn breakdown. SO hot and humid for so long, I seriously was losing my shit. But I am better now because the heat wave broke and I can move, breath, and think again. And what I am thinking is that summer should be over and I am 100% ready fall.

Beside the heat wave almost killing me and making me the most miserable and bitchy person in the world, the week was great. It started off with family hoopla up in Belvedere. My Dad was here, the cousins, and most of the siblings. We ran around, talked and yelled, complained about this and that, and laughed at the expense of each other. Then the mr and I, with the help of the littles, set up our tent in the field and when were were overly exhausted that night, we crawled into then tent for a little shut eye. ( I barely slept because the tent was set up by the littles and they placed in on a weird incline so I was like rolling around all night.) The next morning I woke up early and took a walk to the river with Megan, drank all of Dads coffee, packed up the tent wit the mr, and then half of us went for a long ass bike ride. By the time we were finished, I was finished and it was starting to get really hot. It was a great couple of days and it was time to go home.

And then it got even hotter and more humid. A freaking heatwave. So I did what I could to not melt or kill someone. I spent most of my time either working in the basement or laying on the kitchen floor. I dis go on a little hike by the lake with the Mr, Megan and So thinking it might be a little cooler (it was not) and then had all the littles over for an afternoon of popsicles, ice cream, and sprinkler action, but ther then that I can’t really think of to much else that was done because well my brain was fried.

But then it rained yesterday. Really hard really fast and the heat broke. Thank fucking god because I could take it anymore. So even though I spent most of the day doing chores, cutting hair, and freaking out about stupid things, I was much better then I had been all week.

I am excited for today. I am not sure if it is because we are tossing the camping shit into the car and getting out of here or if it because it is only suppose to get into the mid 70’s and with no humidity. Either one, I am here and happy for it! A day of kayaking and hiking and sleeping outside. The good stuff.

Internet from the week

-July Was The Hottest Month In Recorded Human History. Yes and now we are fucked.

-Has This Summer Felt Off to Anyone Else?, One hundred percent yes.

-Antivaxers Think Their ‘Pure’ Semen Will Skyrocket in Value. Wow. Wow, wow wow.

-One of the nephews ins moving into a dorm for the first time and let me tell you, his mama is losing her shit and buying it all. Also, his dorm is five minutes from his house and around the corner from a store if he needed to get anything. The college dorm shopping industrial complex is real

-A Great British Spraycation.

-Where there is a risk for fire well it is a no brainer. It’s Time to Cancel Campfires

-Cake season is coming upon us, especially me. At least 2 birthday cakes a month for the next 8 months! Cake Is Hard—Here Are 7 Pro Tips to Make Cake Baking Easier

-This is exactly where I should live. Completely in love. The Soot House: Conjuring the Ghosts of Old New England on Spruce Head in Maine

-Don’t Throw Out Your Olive Brine!. I always use olive brine to splash on veggies. It is delicious. Don’t Throw Out Your Olive Brine!

-Ducks, Otters, and Other Wildlife Plunge into Water in Intricate Split-View Embroideries. I want these, they are so fantastic.

Pictures from the week.

Sunday Happy

I am ready, ready for summer to be over. It was so nice for a few days. Not hot, cool nights, but then it started to get hot again and I started to get real bitchy again so yeah, done with it. Plus I am really craving apples. 🍎🍏🍎

We had a good start to the week with a great camp adventure. Sure it rained a whole bunch but we knew that going in so we were prepared. Rain jackets, a canopy to put over the picnic tables, extra clothes. And really, most of the day it wasn’t pouring to badly and hiking around in the woods, the rain doesn’t get you ad bad. We did decide not to bring the kayaks because I wasn’t feeling lightning and water, but hey, that is just me. And we were able to have a nice big warm fire after dinner thanks to the mr been smart and good with flames and wood. It was great and perfect timing too because once we crawled into the tent for the night, well that was when the rain really started to come down. But again, no worries, we started dry.

And we woke up, still a little rain coming down, made coffee, tossed everything into the car and headed back to the rest of the week.

What did we do? Nothing much different then all the rest if the weeks. Hung with Barb, Had the littles over for food and play and then had a girls afternoon where Barb, Miley, and I made cookies and cakes for the upcoming weekend. I have been harvesting lots of goodies from the garden, pickling and freezing all the zucchini, and watching my pumpkin rapidly grow bigger and bigger. I thew some pots, but things have been drying really slow so that means studio stuff slows down too. And thats about sums it up I guess.

Today is the annual Stem family get together. (We didi’t do it last year cause, well you know.) After I spend the morning doing some chores we are heading up to Belvedere to the cabin and hanging with my people. Camping there too. I am really excited to see my family, see the Dad, and also see them in the comforts of the woods in the middle of nowhere so I can run away if need be. And its great that we have camping built in to the day. It is one of my favorite places to camp so it will be good, even if it is suppose to thunderstorm all afternoon. We are getting use to camping in the rain.

Internet from the week

-August 8 Is One Of The Luckiest Days Of The Year. And it’s today! So should I play the lottery?

-Summertime And Vacationing Isn't Easy. Blame It On Climate Change. And blame that on humans.

-Basically the only time I wear a bra is when I am running and that is only because I don’t have pockets in my shorts to shove my phone into it (in the winter I have pockets so no need for the bra). It acts more like a pocket than anything else. HA! Why So Many Women Are Turning Their Backs On The Bra

-Yes to all of these. Designers on Holiday: Modern, Minimalist Tents, Cabins, Guest Houses, and More

-We Tried 9 Ways to Shuck Corn (and Really Get the Silk Off!) and Found a Clear Winner. How do you shuck corn? And does the silk really bother you? I don’t care if there is a few strands but that is me.

-I take a lot of pictures but I also don’t take a lot of pictures. Sometime I just don’t want to it is going to interferes with me being present. To Remember The Moment, Try Taking Fewer Photos

-Homeownership can bring out the worst in you. There is a lot to think about when owning a home.

-Just like antibacterial shit, hand sanitizer kits the bad and the good. You might be overusing hand sanitizer

--A Serendipitous Photo Captures an Acrobatic Goose Contorting Its Body to Fly Upside Down

Pictures from the week

Sunday Happy

Happy July 4th. If you are those people that have been lighting off very loud fireworks all night and keeping me up all night, well thanks “friends “. Hope your need for small explosives was worth keeping up your very nice neighbor who might not be so nice anymore. 😁

I do not like the 4th of July.

The past week. It is hard to remember it much other then I was so freaking stupid hot. The heat wave got me heat sick towards the end and left me miserable are really really bitchy, as any hot day will do. But I did do stuff. We went kayaking on the windiest pond and then hit up a baby shower. I spent a almost blissful day driving Megan around (AC cranked) doing chores. I threw a bunch of pots. (Sometimes I hate having my studio in the basement. But on hot summer days, it is so nice and I actually get a lot of work done!) I laid on the kitchen floor near naked (its the coolest place in the house besides the basement) doing bills and paper work and when I wasn't doing that I just read a lot. And when the heat finally did break I celebrated by running around in all the rain that cooled me to my very soul.

Today. Well because it is the 4th and everyone and their mom is out and about, taking up all the campsites, being all over, the mr and I are just going to try and find a not crowded place for a nice hike but not go camping like we originally thought we would. First off, I don’t want to be near a bunch of people in general, but secondly, everything is booked so we couldn’t go even if we wanted too. Yeah I’m a little bummed but by next weekend there well be a lot less people camping so it will be on. Plus we might set the tent up in the back yard and sleep out there tonight. I just hope that are not more jack asses setting fireworks off all night again. It won’t be good for anyone if they do.

Internet from the week..

-Fire scientists are urging people in the West to skip the fireworks this record-dry 4th of July. I think we ALL should skip them, maybe forever!

-Why Surrounding Yourself With Art Matters — And How To Do It

-The pandemic has made small talk even more painful. I don’t know how it can possibly be any more painful then it already is.

-I do not buy into the busier is better. The Cult of Busyness

-The Humble Minivan Is Due for a Rebrand. The mr has wanted a mini van for years and I have been so hesitant up unit a year or two ago, for traveling in that is. Now they are cool so there that goes.

-EATING WELL WHILE CAMPING IS HARD WORK. IT’S ALSO GENUINELY WORTH IT. I genuinely love camp food. Always a huge pot of soup with all the veggies! Soup is my favorite but eaten in the trees by a camp fire. Best food ever.

-This is a nice house. “The Maine House”

-Will Emojis Really Save Venmo Sellers Money? Yeah, as soon who uses Venmo for my very small business, I am not really excited for the transaction fee.

-I was close to taking a 3am run this past week. I just couldn’t find a flashlight. But I am all about it. Can't Sleep? Go for a Run

Pictures from the week.

Sunday Happy

I got a handful of mosquito bites, the sky is still light when I go to bed, and I’m already getting cranks from the heat. It is full fledge summertime. Are you ready for it? Me, not so much because well, I turn into an asshole when I get hot and guess what? It’s already too hot out. And we are expecting a heat wave this week so watch out.

The week started off with a mad dash through apartments for turn overs and ended with a mad dash of finishing up apartment turn overs. The mr has been putting in 14 hour days every day so the only time we see each other is when I am with him painting or cleaning and for the few minutes we eat dinner together before he leaves the house to go back to work. But it is mostly over now so he can go back to his less crazy work schedule and maybe come home before 11pm!

So yeah, the week wasn’t all that eventful. I was still feeling like a pile of crap early on (from the vaccine) so I was slow going. I painted wall and scrubbed floors. I fed Megans cat and fed Barb all the food. I did get to see and hang out with my oldest friend for the first time in years, (we are getting so old!) and I managed to get a few things done in the studio. I mixed up a few more test glazes, trimmed and stuck handles on pots, and stated the reclaim process of about 100 lbs of clay. I was suppose to go pick up like 400 lb this week but we have just been too busy and the clay store is almost 2 hours away so I didn’t make it in. Hopefully Ill get there next week. I need clay.

Today is another work day. The mr is finishing up apartment turn over stuff so he will be gone all day and I have a house to clean, a studio to clean, and a butt load of reclaim clay to deal with. Not exactly a hike in the woods (which we would much rather be doing) but hopefully starting in the next few weeks we will be back on the Sunday camping circuit and all will be right again!

Internet from the week.

-How to Escape the Happiness Guilt Trap. Is is ok to be happy. For real.

-Doughnut Or Donut? Discuss. I swing both ways.

-Everything Tastes Better When You Eat It Over the Sink. The burnt on tomato sauce.. That is me in a nutshell.

-Do you and don’t try to label it.Want to Be a Minimalist? Here’s What No One Tells You.

-There Are 5 Types of Kitchen Towels — Here’s What Each One is Best For.

-I love these quilts. Minimalist Linen Quilts, Made in Rhode Island

-Exercise is he pain the ends the pain. How to Harness the Pain-Blocking Effects of Exercise

-Pollen Allergies Are Getting Worse, and It's All Our Own Fault. Damn right it is our fault.

-Harvard study: Want to be less depressed? Wake up earlier. I know that I am a way happier person for waking up early and going to bed early. I always thought it was because no one else is awake to bug me and everyone and I am asleep when everyone else is annoying. HA!

Pictures from the week.