It’s Still August

Hello, there. I know this is the second Friday in August, but it feels so strange. On one hand, I can’t believe that it’s already the second week of August. On the other, I am so ready for August to be over. August is my least favorite month: it just seems to drag for me, mostly because it’s the last hurdle before fall. I wrote a love letter to August back in 2022 that I refer to every year because it helps remind that there are good things that happen this month, so I’m going to try to reread that today. Maybe it will help.

But for now, I’m noticing a shift in the sky. I had to use a headlamp when I took Dawsey out this morning. Yes, we were up a little earlier than usual thanks to Colton, but an extra early wake up time isn’t new and this was still the first time we needed a headlamp. And our cherry and locust trees are already dropping their leaves, so when the wind blows it actually looks like fall around here. So we’re getting close. The Summer of 2025 is nearly behind us!

---

Home Stuff:

All of my spare moments have gone towards preparing for our next six week session of homeschooling. I like to have a general idea of what we’ll be doing and make sure we have all of the art supplies and books that we need before the session starts. It makes it so much easier to do it in chunks like this because unexpected things always pop up that make it hard to plan week by week. I always try to review the week coming up on Sundays but friends: Sundays are hard. Every day is hard, so I just try to squeeze it in when I can.

---

We are wrapping up our fourth week of school. This week’s history subject was The Kingdom of Aksum, which was rich and thriving in Medieval Africa thanks to its location. The climate was excellent for growing crops and they were in the prime spot to control trade in the region. Traders from Asia would sail up the Red Sea, unload their boats onto a caravan, and then drive their goods up to the Mediterranean Sea to get to Europe. Their legendary origin story states that their first king was the son of The Queen of Sheba and King Solomon. The Kingdom claimed to be in possession of the The Ark of the Covenant, which holds the original Ten Commandments. And it is believed that the Ark is currently at The Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in current day Aksum, Ethiopia, but no one knows for sure. I am skeptical of course, because you know me. It would take a lot to convince me that an original Ten Commandments even exists, but I digress (and could continue digressing when it comes to the Ten Commandments, but I’ve deleted everything I wrote about it this morning and will spare you).

We have one more week before Colton’s summer school ends, which means we’ll take a break from homeschooling too. I’m looking forward to the relatively quiet and laidback week that’s coming up! And even more? I’m looking forward to the actual school year starting!

---

Knitting:

---

I have not worked on my sweater at all this week, so no progress pictures to share. But I have made progress on my sock! I typically work on this while the kids are busy writing or doing math; it keeps me from helicoptering and doing the work for them. Also, I have a rule that I finish a side before I put it down, so they have to wait a bit if they need help and I’m in the middle of a row… which is usually just enough time for something to click for them and they work through the problem themselves. It’s been a revolutionary tool for us.

As you can see, this week I finished the leg, knit the heel flap, turned the heel, and finished the gusset. The foot is nearing the toe decreases so this first sock is nearly done!

---

Reading:

Flashlight by Susan Choi
(Amazon | Bookshop.org)

It took me all week to read Flashlight because of time constraints, not because of the story. I loved this book! And if you love complicated familial relationships, increasing your knowledge of global politics, and considering how memories affect how we see the world around us, then I think you’re going to love it too.

This is the story of a small American family, set mostly in the 1970s. Serk, the father, is an ethnic Korean who grew up in Japan and immigrated to America for his education. He married Anne, a rather free spirited young woman from a big American family. Their daughter is Louisa, who reminds me a little too much of myself. In 1978, the Kangs temporarily move to Japan for Serk’s job. Tragedy strikes while they are there (this is not a spoiler), and Serk drowns.

We know about Serk’s death from the beginning, but the way Choi builds their lives before, during, and after the situation is incredible. The characters in this novel are messy and real; the geopolitics is fascinating and I learned something new about the region, which is always a bonus for me. Flashlight is on this year’s Booker Prize longlist, so I’ve now finished two:

---

Right now I’m listening to Endling and started reading Love Forms yesterday — and I’m enjoying both a lot. After I finish Love Forms, I think I’m going to take a break from the Booker list and read The Book of Records, which arrived in my mailbox earlier this week. It looks incredible and it’s burning a hole on my shelf as it awaits its turn.

---

This weekend will be more of the same: library, cleaning, cooking, playing outside. Hopefully knitting and reading, but I’m not sure how much time will be spent on those endeavors. I hope your weekend is enjoyable and full of exactly what you need. Take good care.