The late summer wildflowers are everywhere; asters, goldenrod, Queen Anne’s Lace (more than I’ve ever seen before.) Most of them pop up down near our culvert which is right next to the street. They grow with abandon. I was down there yesterday taking some photos and I saw these guys:

Two garden spiders, also known as orb weavers. I’ve never seen two occupying the same web before. That in itself was fascinating. As you know, I love these spiders. Usually. they’re down near the culvert, but last year one of them had a web that stretched between the coneflowers right next to the porch. I always see one somewhere. And I’m strangely cheered by their appearance on the property.

I finally tackled a job I had on the schedule in my planner all week long. Somehow something else always came up to keep me from completing the task and I would write it in for the next day. And the next. Finally, I got to it yesterday. I cleaned out the closet in the office, clearing a couple of shelves for miniature supplies. I filled a big old trash bag with ‘stuff.’ I don’t mean to imply that everything I need or use in my miniature work is in one place. It isn’t. There’s stuff on the desk and work table, there are miniatures in the French cupboard, supplies in the drawers and cabinets, and on my rolling cart. But the stuff that was spread out all over the closet is now in one place. Everything looks better, and I can access it.

The office can move from neat to cluttered in a second. Both of us have desks there. Don’s guitars and equipment are there. There’s a big overstuffed chair and plants. I have a cupboard full of treasures. And we stash extra items like paper towels and toilet paper up there. We’re now used to this new normal and we’ve figured out how to shop safely, so we have less need of boxes of staples, thank goodness. Less clutter makes me happy.

Storage is always at a premium here.

I finished Hamnet  this morning. Stunningly powerful, moving beyond words. Don is going to read it next. For the rest of the day, I’ll hold it close to me. I have to do that before I can start another book. I need to think about it, let it simmer. I recommend it highly.

Oh, and the crazy Qanon-type trolls have appeared. I had a comment this morning (in Spanish) full of crazy conspiracy theories. It was deleted and the troll was blocked.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Life at the cottage, taken in the morning because I was sitting on the loveseat, still drinking my second cup of coffee.

Wow! The convention was terrific. I liked it so, so much better than the usual fare. Truth be told, I usually zone out during conventions, waiting to hear the big speeches. All of the hoopla, signs, funny hats, balloons, and noise is distracting, so I usually busy myself with something else until Don says, “So-and-so is going to speak!”

This year’s experience was intimate and powerful and so well done, especially since the Dems had to invent an entirely new convention. Bravo! Last night; the young boy with the stutter who spoke so movingly, the words of the Biden family, the stories of Joe’s kindness and compassion and strength in the face of despair. His speech may be the best I have ever heard from him. He was magnificent.

I’ll be glad to get back to our regular sleeping schedule, but boy, staying up late was worth it. I feel hope again.

And Steve Bannon was arrested. Perfect. Grifters, one and all.

We came up with our voting plan this morning. We will vote in person, but early. This is the first year that New York has had early voting, and we can vote in our neighboring town at the Community Center from October 24 – November 1st. We don’t trust the mail simply because OM is doing all he can to keep us from voting by mail. So we figure we’ll be able to vote sometime within that nine-day time period and social distance while doing it. If it seems crowded that day, we’ll come back later or the next day. That’s our plan.

I’m close to finishing Hamnet.  I cannot say enough how beautifully written it is. Extraordinary. And since it deals with death in the time of the Plague, it doubly resonates. O’Farrell writes about grief so movingly; the pain, the raw, laid-bare emotions, the sense of unreality. I have to put it down at times because it is so beautifully, excruciatingly painful. It’s a gem.

The newest James Lee Burke is sitting here waiting for me after I finish Hamnet.

We mowed like crazy yesterday and we were pretty tired for the rest of the day. Today? Hopefully, I’ll get to the organization in the office that I wanted to do earlier in the week.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Overgrown, late summer. I love this stage, when everything is looking kind of wild and a little bit past its prime.

Our mornings have been very, very cool this week. It feels like fall. Such a strange thing to happen in mid-August, which is usually very hot and humid. But everything is topsy-turvy nowadays, we’ve had hot and humid most of the summer, so we’re getting a little break now. Perfect weather to mow, which is what we’ll be doing later this morning. Don is at the grocery store right now; I’m writing this post rather quickly so I can help him wipe everything down when he returns home.

I’m up far too late in the evenings during the Democratic Convention, but it’s worth it. Barack Obama’s speech last night was one of the best (in a long list of bests) that I’ve ever heard. It was powerful, hopeful, and chilling at the same time. He didn’t mince words. This is what we’ve been waiting for him to say and he chose the perfect moment in which to say it. If you haven’t seen it, I urge you to find it online. We are fighting for our democracy and if we don’t elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, we will see it disappear.

Kamala Harris’ speech was excellent.

I should finish Hamnet  today and then I’ll move on to James Lee Burke’s newest. He’s a mystery/police procedural writer who is, at heart, a poet. I love every one of his Dave Robicheaux books and I’ve read them all.

That’s all for now, my friends. I have to wrap this up and get moving – again, sleeping too late because I’m up too late!

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.