The week ended with washi tape.

 

I saw a post on FB or Twitter that said that every weekend should be 3 days: 1 day to do errands out in the world, 1 day to do chores at home, and 1 day to be a lazy slug. (I’m paraphrasing, I don’t think they said slug.) But I think that’s exactly right. I’ve been so grateful for this long weekend to move slowly, get things done with breaks to stare into space or take a short half-asleep/half-awake floaty sort of nap. I know this fatigue is part of grief. 

So it’s been a hodgepodge sort of week. But every day I have found what I have started thinking of as moments of true joy — a beautiful sight, a humorous moment, some little thing that feels like a gift. I am thinking about how to capture those. A photo? A journal? A list? That sky up there from the other morning was one of those moments. I found myself humming “Old Buttermilk Sky” all morning. 

It was a busy work week, so days were filled with that. I remind myself that I am lucky that my work is 100% portable, which made my move to this lovely island possible. But geez, there is so much I would rather be doing. This picture was from a 5pm “I’ve turned off the computer and now I can sit with my feet in the sun and enjoy this summer evening” moment. And as a side note, I am glad I went for red when I was deciding about the patio umbrella. Life tip: it is hard to feel sad under a red umbrella. 

I was just reminded of another moment of of joy: I can hear the low horn of the Mukilteo ferry from my house. It makes me happy every time I hear it. 

My friend Dori was here on the island visiting her mom, and she invited me to come hang out while they fished for salmon from the beach. It was a beautiful evening, not hot, not cold, just perfect. I watched them cast over and over, saw something (porpoises? Sea lions?) cavorting out in the sound, and we took breaks to sit on a driftwood log and sip wine. It was the perfect antidote to a day in front of the computer. No fish were caught that evening but I came home with a hunk of king salmon from the freezer stock of Dori’s family.  I didn’t even have to put anything wiggly on a hook. 

Saturday’s errands took me first to the farmer’s market, of course, where I was looking for tomatoes and peaches. The Foxtail Farm stand had a long line of people like me waiting to grab some of those gorgeous tomatoes. I came home with a bunch of sunflowers, too.  You will not be surprised to learn that lunch was a BLT sandwich, and dinner included a caprese salad. 

I am new to the art of the kitchen island vignette (yes! It’s a thing! Look here!) But here is my assemblage after Saturday’s excursion. Dang, a pro would have hidden that sticker on the avocado. And maybe less is more for photo purposes, but I have fruits that need ripening. Note the use of the wooden cake stand, and the appearance of a pumpkin which for my purposes is permissible after September 1.

On the way home from my Saturday errands I ventured down another new road and came upon this vista. I had the windows down and the sunroof open and the smell of sweet dry grass was in the air. That is looking northwest (I think) from Coupeville. I will have to go back there to just sit and gaze and smell the air. It felt like a healing place.

At home, my plan was to unpack and organize more craft and sewing supplies. I thought I was pretty organized in the packing process, but… apparently not. I have found so many things scattered among different boxes, and mostly layered with quilting fabric as the packing material. I have opened many boxes that say “sewing room” on them, found a top layer of fabric, and have then been totally surprised by the craft or other supplies under the fabric. I am trying to ignore the frustration at all the stuff I’ve not yet found in favor of looking it as a crafty treasure hunt with surprises in every box. Up there you see my drawer of plastic liquid stuff for adding enamel dot accents to cards and book pages. So many pretty colors! I love adding these dots to paper crafts. Now I need something to dot.

Organizing inspired to me to do a bit of collage and journaling in an altered book journal I made before I moved. I was envisioning leaving Healdsburg, staying with my friend in Port Townsend for a few weeks while I hunted for a house on the island, and needing something crafty to do during that time. I started this book, put together a portable craft supply kit… and then I ended up buying this house and days flew by with nary a crafting moment to be found. After months with no “making” (and I do not count making dinner or making a mess), it felt very satisfying to scribble notes on journaling cards and just glue stuff in. There was even washi tape involved. 

That brings you up to date here, friends. Now, tell me about your weekend. Tell me how you are greeting September. Do you have any kitchen vignettes?