sprite writes
broodings from the burrow

December 31, 2022


ten things to do before midnight
posted by soe 1:14 am

Here are ten last things I’m hoping to cross off my to-do list before the calendar turns over, in no particular order:

  1. Paint my nails something sparkly.
  2. Finish reading and return my last overdue book to the library. (They’re closed and won’t know, but I will.)
  3. Vacuum.
  4. Make some year-end donations. (Done!)
  5. Eat ice cream with Sarah.
  6. Check in with my BFF.
  7. Get a negative COVID result. (I was on a plane yesterday with a horde of unmasked travellers, after all.)
  8. Take out the trash and the compost.
  9. Put away the groceries.
  10. Listen to new music.
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November 28, 2022


this week’s to-do list
posted by soe 1:44 am

I’m not going to lie: this is going to be a busy week for those of who dwell in the Burrow. What am I hoping to get done, all before my annual tree-trimming party next Sunday, you ask?

  • Head back to D.C. from Connecticut
  • Learn how to use the 3D printer at the library’s maker lab
  • Play volleyball
  • Complete a couple of handmade gifts
  • Finish cleaning the Burrow
  • Kick off the Virtual Advent Tour
  • Tackle a couple cooking projects
  • Buy a Christmas tree
  • Have friends over for dinner and a game night (potentially)
  • Attend a seminar with tips for improving your job search
  • Grocery shop
  • Do laundry
  • Make a couple library runs

There are probably some other things that I’m forgetting, but that’s baker’s dozen list as I have it right now.

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November 27, 2022


more mellow music: ‘won’t you come and sing for me?’
posted by soe 1:30 am

Norah Jones and Chris Thiles cover Hazel Dickens’ “Won’t You Come and Sing for Me?”

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November 24, 2022


happy thanksgiving!
posted by soe 1:38 am

Wishing you and yours a happy Thanksgiving (and a happy Thursday to those who aren’t celebrating today). I hope wherever and however you mark the day that you have enough, that you are safe, and that you feel loved.

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November 21, 2022


the surprise of grief
posted by soe 1:39 am

A small wave of grief hit me yesterday. It was enough to knock the breath out of me, but not so big as to yank my feet out from under me. But it caught me off guard.

It was a silly thing that did it: a cardinal ornament at the downtown holiday market, where I stopped last night after getting my flu shot. And I thought, I should buy that for Gramma. And there it was: smash!

It’s been more than seven years since my grandmother died. I don’t grieve her on a daily basis the way I did that first year, when I was surprised to discover that you could cry in your sleep, because I woke myself up sobbing one night. Most days, she lives in my memory, content to dispense no-nonsense rejoinders when I kick something while barefoot or roll out a recipe for me when I need a go-to dish and maybe less content that I still play the “even my dead grandmother” game when faced with an onerous task. She is firmly in the past tense now in my life.

Still, I shouldn’t have been wholly surprised by the reaction to the ornament. There were warning signs. I saw a friend on Friday to deliver some lemon squares, and when I told him they weren’t quite right, that they didn’t taste like Gramma used to make, I heard my voice get a little wobbly. But I caught it and we talked about the invisible ingredients that go into recipes that mean you’ll never quite replicate it and that that just has to be good enough sometimes.

I’ve been thinking about grief and the upcoming holidays recently. This will be the first big holiday for Rudi since his mom died, and I know it will be hard. My parents and I will be there, but that fact also will keep the wound raw. He’s got plans to leave us for a few days to head up to the World Cup races in Vermont, and I suspect that break will help. But it’s going to be hard regardless. We’ll all have to take a few extra breaths this year and give each other the time and space and kindness and grace to let our ghosts visit us without having them wash us out to sea.

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November 20, 2022


success!
posted by soe 1:35 am

This morning I was able to procure P!nk tickets, thanks to Ticketmaster finally adding a Paypal option.

It’s remarkably frustrating to enter your credit card number, verify that it’s accurate and that the rest of the personal data matches what’s on your account, click off all the silly boxes, and then to watch as the tickets you’ve tried to buy 3,648 times are again ripped out of your hand because “the card information you have tried to enter is incorrect.” Multiple days, different browsers. None of it mattered. And because it was a presale associated with my credit card company, it’s not like I could just sub in a different card.

But this irritation will fade into the distance and the excitement of seeing P!nk will grow as we get closer to the concert date next August(!).

I wish similar resolutions to all the Taylor Swift fans out there, because I can’t imagine how pissed off they are right now.

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