Friday Cozies – Week 37 of 2020

One of my 2020 goals was to take more pictures and, as with everything else, I’m using my blog to help me stay accountable. Every Friday I share a few pictures from our week and write quick post. This week has seen a sourdough revival!

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We’re wrapping up Week 3 of Blackberry Bluff School! Our local school district started on Wednesday and it was really strange to know that Bear wasn’t hopping on a bus and spending the day in the classroom. It makes this whole situation feel much more real! The time we’ve spent learning at home has been trying, but fun. I read this quote on Instagram earlier this month from The Read Aloud Revival: “learning is simply the art of living well.” It’s one of my new mantras. Sometimes things feel crazy, but then there are quiet moments when everything feels right. So who knows?

I’ve discovered sourdough pizza crusts and I’m hooked. This is the simplest recipe I’ve found for my discarded sourdough and it tastes delicious. I could probably eat it without any toppings, but why would one pass up farm fresh tomatoes and basil? If you still have your Quarantine Starter (or you’re like Gretchen and have had the same starter since 1985), this is a fast and easy supper! We’ve had several batches of sourdough biscuits over the last couple of weeks, but they get eaten so quickly that I haven’t managed to snap a picture. Yesterday I made a batch of sourdough crackers to have with my last bag of zucchini and basil soup from last summer – such a perfect combination! Next up: Sourdough Blueberry Muffins to use up all of the blueberries that we picked and froze this summer.

Did anyone catch last week’s On Being episode? It was a re-air of Mary Oliver’s 2015 interview. I still haven’t read anything by her but am planning to pick up Long Life this month. I’ve experienced a convergence of naturalists in my life this summer (Mary Oliver interview, Beatrix Potter study this summer, Robin Wall Kimmerer interview and book, Jane Goodall interview, several fiction books that I’ve read over the last few months) and I’m loving it. I don’t know Mary Oliver well enough to know if she would call herself a naturalist, but I’m going to take that leap.

These next several months are going to be challenging. My husband will have to work 6 days a week nearly every week until at least Thanksgiving. We’re still looking for a learning at home rhythm that allows for fun, relaxation, and actual learning. Three young and energetic children, one with special needs, who never stop moving. My husband and I are extreme introverts who both need a lot of alone and quiet time to recharge, and that doesn’t seem to be in the cards. So I’m putting my head down and trying to get through. I’m going to do my best to keep showing up here at my blog, leaning on my notebooks and my library card, and looking for joy.

I hope this weekend treats you well. I plan to be here on Sunday morning with a poem to share (it’s been hard to choose!) and then on Monday morning for a look into my notebook (I’ve made another change). Please be well!