I know I haven't posted that much this year, but that's because I've been livin' life in the real world! Going to work, doing chores, taking kids to playgrounds, cutting flowers, etc. etc. I thought I would pop in here today because yikes, have you seen the state of the Internet? I made the mistake of logging on to Facebook the other day and was immediately bombarded with fake photos, fake videos, and fake news stories. Pinterest is all AI generated these days which is only the tip of the iceberg. Substack and YouTube are OK, with a little too much of a lean toward "curation" and "aesthetic". If one more 20-something tells me to "romanticize my life" you'll know, because you'll hear my scream wherever you are.
I bought an Oru folding kayak for my birthday - it was a little pricey but 100% worth it. It fits in the trunk of my hatchback sedan and it's easy to store in the house, too. I was a little concerned about floating in what is basically a huge USPS mail bin, but so far so good! I'm looking forward to some colder weather kayaking in the hopes that the crowds are kept away. Fun fact: Maryland is the only US state without any natural lakes.
We went on a few trips, one to a lake in Virginia, and to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. This was Cora's first time seeing the ocean and she jumped right in, fully clothed. A hurricane was brewing off shore so there were yellow (caution) flags up on most days. It was pretty stressful trying to keep 8 children from drowning but luckily our rental house also had a pool which was easier to supervise.
I'm realllly scraping the bottom of the barrel now, flower-wise. My July planting fizzled out due to extreme heat and hardly any rain. I still have 120 dahlia plants but it's been so dry they are not producing like I hoped. I have 8 more flower subscription pickups before I'm done for the season, and boy will I be glad to take a break. I've already decided to scale back next year. So often turning a hobby into a job takes some of the joy out of it, which has happened over the last 4.5 years. Next year I'm hoping to reclaim some gardening fun.
I'm not here to rain on anyone's fall parade, but fall is already nice. I don't need special flavors and decorations, hot books and cozy blankets. Nature is already beautiful enough. So let me propose, let's make winter the special season. After the end of year holidays, it's just dark and cold; Valentine's day is not going to cut it. I'm trying to think of ways to make January-March feel bearable. Maybe a special box of treats that is only opened then? A mission to try new restaurants or visit museums? If anyone has winter traditions, I'd love to hear them.
Until next time... If you have a blog and are a human with a regular life, I am grateful for what you do. I may not always comment, but there aren't many real people on the internet anymore and I appreciate you!
