Weekly Roundup 37: Banned Books Week

 

Weekly Roundup 36: Turning the Corner

Well, hello there, middle of September. Where did you come from so quickly?

I recently saw September described as a month to turn the corner, and that feels so fitting. Summer might still linger, but we're preparing to leave it behind and face the arrival of autumn and winter.

The idiom "turn the corner" refers to a situation that improves after a difficult period, but that doesn't quite describe this September feeling. This is more like the combination of a fond goodbye and a welcoming hello--appreciating the last gifts of summer while we anticipate the rest of the gifts the year has to offer.

Honestly, I am ready to turn the corner on a few things: gardening, the heat, mosquitoes and grasshoppers, and the pressure of my summer to-do list. The weeks between now and Halloween offer some really nice moments for pausing and breathing and slowing down. I'm planning on enjoying soup, candles, sweaters, and hopefully more sleep very soon. 

Leading up to the fall equinox on Saturday the 22nd, September's full harvest-super-blood-moon last night coincided with a partial lunar eclipse. Under a magical celestial glow, this week feels like the perfect time to approach the turning of the corner with gratitude for what was and enthusiasm for what will be. 

See you in autumn, pumpkin spice fans!

Weekly Roundup 35: Pollination

From the linden tree that blooms in the spring to the summer's bee balm to the last sunflower of autumn, I have a fair number of bees buzzing around my yard all season. I'm not a master gardener, but I steer clear of pesticides and in general try to have a suitable oasis where the bees can get about their business of pollination.

In very simple terms, pollination is the transfer of pollen within and between flowers, which allows for fertilization and production of the plant's fruit or seed. Bees, birds, bats, butterflies, beetles, moths, and even the wind are part of the process. It is so critical to food production, from large-scale agriculture to small garden plots like mine, that the State of Colorado passed legislation this year to protect pollinating insects and their habitats. 

So, for many plants, nothing comes to fruition without pollination.

Bear with me as I try tie this in to writing.

I have a partially completed manuscript I've been trying to get back to for months. When people ask me if I'm writing, I think about that neglected WIP and feel guilty when I say, no, not really, I'm on a bit of a hiatus right now, been busy with other things, I'm stuck, etc. (All these things are true, by the way, but not great excuses.)  

I'm so grateful for people who care about me and my writing. And it occurred to me the other day that every time someone asks me, it's almost as if...here it comes...each question is like a friendly bee buzzing around me, pollinating my creativity, doing its part to nudge me closer to fruition.

Too much of a stretch? Probably.   

But I think it's working.  

A big thank you to all the literal and metaphorical pollinators in my life! See you all next week.

Weekly Roundup 34: Labors of Love

Labor Day was Monday, and here's a big shout-out to all the workers at every level who keep this world turning. When I think of how many people are involved in the basic needs and functions of daily life--from running water to high-speed internet, from agriculture to the convenience store on the corner--I'm astounded. And grateful!

I also want to recognize another type of work: the labor of love. Merriam-Webster defines it as "a labor voluntarily undertaken or performed without consideration of any benefit or reward." That doesn't feel quite accurate, as benefits and rewards can come in many forms. 

I prefer this definition from Dictionary.com: "work done for the sake of one's own enjoyment or benefit to others rather than for material rewards." A labor of love also might be considered an avocation or hobby, as opposed to a vocation which (hopefully) pays the bills. But I think it goes deeper than a hobby. A calling, maybe?

Labors of love also keep the world turning, or at the very least make it more a interesting place. So here's to all the painters and ballroom dancers and novelists and gardeners and poets and parkour athletes and needlepointers and fiddle players and cartoonists and everyone else doing what we do for the love of it.

See you next week!

Weekly Roundup 33: More Trolls

I was up in the Pacific Northwest over the weekend and sought out three more of recycle artist and activist Thomas Dambo's Trolls:

#122: Bruun Idun

#123: Jakob Two Trees

and #124: Frankie Feetsplinter

These three are part of Dambo's Way of the Bird King series, a 10-troll road trip across the United States. With the help of lots of volunteers, the ten trolls were built and installed over the course of 100 days in the summer of 2023. 

This probably brings my troll-hunting to a close for this year, but I wish Dambo the best of luck in his quest to build 1000 trolls and other artwork from waste materials.

Weekly Roundup 32: B2S Time

That's right, it's Back 2 School time, and even though this is the first year I haven't had a student since my older son started kindergarten, it's a hard mindset to break. My mom was a teacher, and I remember going to her elementary classroom late in the summer to help put up bulletin boards. Being in a school without students almost felt like trespassing. I can still picture the dim quiet hallways and hear the sound of the stapler we used to affix construction paper to the corkboards. 

Years later came the annual purchase of backpacks and crayons and tennis shoes for my two boys, all of it seeming so important because it heralded the return to school. We would show up at Target, find the supply list for the correct school, and and start checking things off as we dropped them in the cart. This year, 57% of families will forego the shopping trip and buy their supplies online.

If you like to get a little wonky with the numbers, the National Center for Education Statistics is the website for you! That is where I learned that in Fall 2021, 49.4 million children were enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools and 5.5 million children were enrolled in private elementary and secondary schools. 

That adds up to a lot of school supplies. In fact, total back to school spending--including everything from erasers to MacBooks--is estimated to hit $81.16 billion dollars this year. To help defray some of this cost, sixteen states are participating in "sales tax holidays" for certain eligible items. Hey, every little bit helps.

(All this talk about back to school is making me nostalgic. I might have to go buy myself a new pen and spiral notebook.)

To all the teachers everywhere, thank you! You make a hard job look easy and do it with love.

 

 

Weekly Roundup 31: Olympic Gold

The Paris Olympics wrapped up on Sunday, and many people kept an eye on which country would take home the most gold medals.

Instead of medals, ancient Olympians were presented with a branch off of the wild olive tree growing in Olympia, Greece. At the first modern games held in Athens in 1896, winners received a silver medal and an olive branch. 

The summer Olympics of 1900 mixed things up with rectangular medals for some sports and various cups and trophies for others. The now-familiar tradition of awarding circular gold, silver, and bronze medals began with the 1904 St. Louis Olympic Games and has continued since.

This summer, the United States and China tied with 40 gold medals a piece (though the total medal count was 126 and 91, respectively). That's great, but it's also expected from these two powerhouse sporting nations. Kind of like when Stephen King or Colleen Hoover have another book on the bestseller list.

Since I'm the kind of person who likes to root for the underdog, I'm just as excited for Botswana, whose Olympic team brought back the country's first ever gold medal. Letsile Tebogo earned the top honor in the men's 200 meter race by besting American track superstars Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles, and other world-class sprinters.

The president of Botswana declared a half-day holiday on Tuesday, and Tebogo returned home to a stadium full of fans celebrating his victory. Seeing as how Botswana has been competing in the summer Olympics since 1980, this seems more than appropriate.

Although I do everything at a much slower pace than the 19.46 second winning time and will never be in a national spotlight, I'm still inspired by this story. And speaking of inspiration, the Paralympic Games begin on August 28.

Have a great week!