I have one and a half more mosaic charts left to knit and then I return to the wasteland of ribbing and an icord bindoff. It’s possible I’ll finish the shawl in the next month, which would be great, because I’m over knitting it.

Jared Reck’s Donuts and Other Proclamations of Love has had a slower start than I would have hoped, since who doesn’t love the idea of a doughnut and kebab sandwich food truck? I also wanted a little space from the audiobook I started last week, so I decided to pick up a long-neglected listen, Michelle Obama’s Becoming. We just reached the 2004 Democratic National Convention, which is when most of us first became aware of her husband.

Head over to As Kat Knits for the weekly roundup of reads and crafts.

I discovered a pull in my knitting tonight. It was on the wrong side, so conceivably I could have just stretched the fabric a little bit and then woven it under the stitches.

But instead I picked at the stitches with a spare needle, teasing the elongated loop in both directions until all the slack was gone.

It took more than an hour to accomplish, but I’m glad I took the time.

There’s a lesson there to apply to real life, where taking the time to relieve tiny increments of a major stressor eventually lead to the problem being solved. But that takes time and patience, and I really just want to weave in the threads and disguise the things that could take down the entire thing.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday from That Artsy Reader Girl is a seasonal favorite of mine: the top ten books I’m looking forward to reading this fall:

1. Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune
2. Miss Moriarty, I Presume? by Sherry Thomas
3. The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks by Mackenzi Lee
4. Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell (first I have to read Wayward Son, though)
5. The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
6. Aurora’s End by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
7. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
8. Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
9. Stuntboy by Jason Reynolds
10. Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore

How about you? What are you looking forward to reading now that fall is nearly upon us?

I am pleased to report that very few insurrection-friendly protestors arrived in D.C. this weekend, so mostly we were all able to live our lives as usual.

Yesterday I finished a book, returned things to two libraries, bought some doughnuts, and video-chatted with some friends.

Today I went to the farmers market (but too late for paw paws, chanterelles, baguettes, and milk), started a book I picked up from the library yesterday, and spent a couple hours at the garden (I planted lettuce, dill, and cilantro, as well as some fall seeds; harvested a bunch of things; trimmed lots of tomato plants; watered; and weeded).

In an effort to disentangle my life hours from my work hours, I thought I’d share that we’re planning to head to the movies on Wednesday and I have a volleyball doubleheader on Thursday night. I just need to make some plans for tomorrow, Tuesday, and Friday.

How was your weekend?

Three more beautiful things from my past week, because we’re in a week that demands I find the positives in life:

1. Last week was Doggie Day Swim, or, as Rudi and I call it, Pups in the Pool. Every year, after they close the pool to people, they give dog owners a chance to bring their pooches over to use it. There were about two dozen dogs, most of whom were running around the pool, rather than playing in it, but still.

2. Dancers were out practicing their waltzing at one of the nearby triangle parks one afternoon. I assume it was the social dancing group that meets at the nearby church.

3. The windshield of the car has brown leaves all over it. Fall is nearly here!

How about you? Anything beautiful in your world lately you feel like sharing?

So, there are more right-wing nutjobs coming to D.C. this weekend. Expert analysts of the dark web suggest, unlike Jan. 6th, this time the rumors are more likely to be bigger than the turnout. But, they also warn that nutjobs be nutjobs, and there’s just no predicting what some of them will do.

Most of us who are staying put are planning to take precautions. I’ll probably save taking Metro across town until Sunday. And if I go out to Virginia to return my overdue library book, I’ll try to plan the ride out there for when delusional people will already be in the city to avoid interacting with them, rather than when they’re returning to their “safe” suburban hotels. If I go over to the H Street Festival, I’ll bike or take the bus. (Again, while insurrectionists may charter buses to bring them to the city, I have my doubts they’re going to hop on a Metrobus. Okay, maybe a Circulator.)

If I want to stay in the neighborhood, there’s a craft sale by Latinx makers, and I can walk to the library. And I can spend time in the garden.

If they institute a curfew, I’ve already got plans to video chat with friends. I had to postpone our usual call because I was headed to a ballgame, and they suggested this weekend as a replacement so we could hear about the first couple weeks of kindergarten. There are also National Book Festival talks online I could watch, but the problem is that I already spend too much time in front of a screen. Luckily, I don’t have to listen to talks about books — I can read them! And I can knit. And I can paint my nails (although not while I’m knitting).

Sunday is the farmers market. Paw paws are in season, and Rudi would probably be grateful if I got up early and went and bought him some. We’ll see. If there are some available at whatever time I get to the market, I’ll buy him some, but I’m not going to get up early to buy something I don’t eat. (It’s surprising how many fruits taste like bananas.) He is a grown adult and can plan to be around to buy paw paws if that’s a priority.

What’s on your to-do list for this.final weekend of summer?