currently: a list

These days, I am…

Battling… boredom. Lately it’s been more intense than usual.

Marveling… at the body’s ability to heal. My finger reattached itself, y’all! (My husband says “reattached” is too strong a word but I beg to differ. After three full weeks of bandaids and tons of coddling and lots of inconveniece, if I say the dang finger done did reattach itself, then it did, SO THERE.)

Applauding… myself for running this morning because, even though it was my day off, I knew a run would help my mood on this gloomy, dreary day. And it did.

Considering… murdering the neighbor’s rooster. The early wake-ups are putting me over the edge.

Eyeballing… these cookies. Her recipes rarely work for me, but this one looks foolproof, yes? Also, I think it’s high time I learned to make flan and tres leches cake.

Gobbling up… the freshly-picked black raspberries that my mother left in our mailbox.

Stepping out of character and permitting… my children to experiment with frying: rice paper chips, sugared bananas wrapped in rice paper, potato chips.

Appreciating… articles like Our Pain Is Not Your Classroom (Medium) and this video which I showed to my family at the supper table the other night.

Signing… a petition to change the name of a local high school.

Bookmarking… movies from this list of 15 Kid-Friendly Movies to Help Build a Conversation About Race and Racism.

Watching… Queen of Katwe for our family movie night. Recommend! (The week before we watched Selma, and I’d like to watch this documentary with them as a follow-up to Just Mercy.)

Listening to… to David Berry. I’m in awe.

Reading… Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri. I love her characters, her insights, her writing, everything. Also, I just finished Being Mortal and Normal People. Next up: Scratched (I have a feeling I’m not going to like it), and I’m reading Little Women to the younger two.

Putting on hold… books from the library: they’re up and running again!!!

Hoping… the DMV sends my son the title for his new car and quick. Unable to drive it, the poor boy just sits in it for hours on end, or stands on the porch gazing at it longingly.

Savoring… leisurely wine-and-cheese visits on the deck with friends.

Puzzling over… the outlines for the next few chapters for my book. Which is the polite way of saying: I’m hopelessly stuck. Deep in the mire. Miserable. It’s agony, people. Do you hear me? Agony.

Wearing… sweatshirt, jeans, and wool socks, in June.

Laughing… over Sarah Cooper’s brilliance. Favorites include this, this, and this.

Missing… coffee shops and crowds.

Lingering… at the supper table, swapping stories, arguing (loudly and a lot), watching YouTube clips, and reading articles out loud.

(If we were in a motley crew competition, we’d take the cake.)

xo!

This same time, years previous: cousin week, family week, puff!, smart hostessing, sinking in, the quotidian (6.16.14), language study, a glimpse, when I sat down.

Jennifer Jo lives with her husband John and their four children on five acres in rural Virginia where she (kinda-sorta-maybe) homeschools the kids, gardens, bakes, and reads. You can find more of her musings and lots of recipes at her web-log mamasminutia.blogspot.com.