sprite writes
broodings from the burrow

August 1, 2014


august goals
posted by soe 11:59 pm

Back at the beginning of the year, I vowed I was going to try to achieve three preset goals each month. That fell by the wayside, but I thought I’d revive it this month and see if I could get back into the habit.

This month I’d like to:

  1. See a show: As we were watching the Tony’s this year, we bemoaned the fact that we’ve gotten out of the habit of seeing plays and musicals. We’re heading to New York later this month, and high amongst our goals for the trip is to see a show.
  2. Finish at least three pairs of socks: August holds one of my favorite online knit-alongs — the Sock Knitters Anonymous finish-along. Last year I completed two pairs and I’d like to exceed that this month. I probably have a dozen pairs that are in-progress (starting from earlier this year and dating back as far as 2009).
  3. Complete a bike ride of at least 20 miles: I’ve done several 10-mile days this summer, so it feels like a longer trip is in order. It can be 10 miles out and 10 back (like a ride to Old Town) and there can be a good space of time in between, but it would be nice to get a lengthy daytrip in before Labor Day.

What things would you like to do this month?

Category: arts,knitting,sports. There is/are 2 Comments.


mostly just right, insects, and fort reno
posted by soe 2:01 am

Hi there! I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately, but those thoughts haven’t materialized as words on a page in a week. Thank goodness for Thursdays, because we always post on Thursdays.

I’m perched here in my rocking chair, teetering slightly into some laundry that ought to be dealt with (and not really by being sat upon), Corey spread across my lap, nudging his head under my right hand in the hope that I will stop bouncing it up and down on the keyboard and instead will rub his temple in that way I can. He’s going to have to wait a few more minutes.

The hallway and kitchen lights are on and help provide some ambient light, but mostly it’s coming from the monitor and the lamp I insisted we buy when Rudi came home from the hospital and I was forced by kindness to surrender my spot on the couch to him and take over his chair. I don’t know how he’s gotten by all these years without adequate lighting, but I’m very happy with the purchase, as is he, I assume, since it’s the first light he turns on in the living room now. It’s also nice as the final light to go off in the room, since it doesn’t bleed into the bedroom nearly as much as the overhead lights. Thus why it remains on now when Rudi and the other two cats have gone to bed.

Now that I’ve set the scene for you, let’s proceed with the post, shall we?

Here are three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Rudi and I decided late Saturday afternoon when warnings of high winds and torrential rains forecast for the following day reached us to go in search of the elusive Poolesville sunflowers. McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area, which I wrote about a couple years back, has four fields of sunflowers, which I had hunted for, but failed to find twice.

The first field we came to had a few yellow flowers on their last legs, but was mostly a swath of brown, with only the centers of the flowers left, bent over and wizened. We consulted our map and drove to the other end of the park, where we found a field of torso-high green stems, pre-bud. So, trusting that a fairy-tale would not lead us astray, we sought one of the two fields in the middle of the park. While I wouldn’t say it was at peak, it was mostly just right:

Sunflower Sandwich

Bee on Sunflower

Beetle on Sunflower

Sunflower in Field

2. While walking along the path through the swamp to get to the field, I realized that there were dragonflies perched atop nearly every tree lining our way. Some were way up high, but others were on lower branches and willing to be photographed:

Dragonfly Bush

Resting Dragonfly

Chewing Dragonfly

Posing Dragonfly

3. Tonight was the final concert at Fort Reno for the summer and Rudi and I spent a couple very pleasant hours lounging on our blanket under clear skies, eating a picnic dinner, and listening to music. (I will confess that I accidentally mistook the first band’s music for 20 minutes of equipment testing, which probably means it’s doubly important I attend concerts like this that are out of my wheelhouse.) Usually, attending Fort Reno means waiting out 90+-degree temps and hoping for a breeze after the sun sets to cool things off a smidge. This year, no breeze was necessary, as today’s high was only in the mid-80s. This free punk music series attracts hipsters and oldsters, families with small children, and interns alike and has occurred annually for 45+ years at the remains of a Civil War fort. This year, though, new rules were inadequately and belatedly shared with the organizer and threatened to derail the shows until a compromise was brokered by third parties to let the concerts occur. There are no promises for next year, so if this was the final show, we were grateful to have been part of it.

Sunset over Fort Reno

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world this week?

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