Friday evening, Rudi and I headed up to the Cleveland Park neighborhood for an author event with Markus Zusak, who wrote The Book Thief, which I loved. He’s in the U.S. promoting his new book, Bridge of Clay, which sounds interesting. I opted to forego the signing and will read a library copy instead. Rudi and I considered eating at one of the many restaurants up there, but instead decided to pick up some pizza dough at an Italian shop and eat at home. Yum!

On Saturday, I spent an hour at the garden, where I pulled out dead tomato vines, harvested peppers, ground cherries, cherry tomatoes, and the basil we suspected wouldn’t appreciate this week’s chilly weather, and sprinkled some seeds underneath the remaining vines in the hopes we might still get some greens before the end of the season.

Check out what I found at the garden!

I stopped at the library to return a large pile of books and at the H Street Festival, where I visited Solid State Books and got a warm beverage to drink while I perused the books.

Rudi and I got Thai food takeout and watched the first episode of the new Doctor Who and Saturday Night Live.

This morning, I got up early so I could fly to Connecticut at literally the crack of dawn. My dad is having surgery tomorrow — nothing too major, but still — so if if you could think good thoughts, we’d all appreciate it.

How was your weekend?

For monarch butterflies to make their way through D.C. on their way to their winter home in Mexico.

Last week, I saw one floating outside my coworker’s window, six floors up from the street (but still moving with the flow of traffic on the one-way street). Today was a little more prosaic, as several were flitting around the butterfly bush at our garden gate.

Have you noticed any critters preparing for the cooler weather?

I already get to cross something off my to-do list because Rudi and I started our weekend at an author event at the library, which is an excellent way to begin a couple days off.

Other things I’d like to do this weekend:

• Do some laundry.
• Take in some of the H Street Festival, D.C.’s biggest neighborhood festival.
• Check out the permanent storefront of D.C.’s newest bookstore, Solid State Books (They were still at their pop-up location when I visited in the spring.)
• Knit.
• Read.
• Watch a movie.
• Go to the library.
• Spend a little time at the garden.
• Snuggle with my cats and Rudi. (It’s finally cool enough to want to do that again!)
• Fly to Connecticut. (I’m heading back up for a week for some family stuff.)

How about you? What are you hoping to do this weekend?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. My outdoor volleyball game was the early one, so it was neither rained on nor called for darkness. And then one of the teams in the late game had a couple tardy players, so I got to offer to fill in until they arrived.

2. On our drive home, we were on a back road trying to get around some heavy traffic when Rudi discovered we were near a local doughnut shop, Donut Crazy, so we stopped in and bought a half dozen to try. Their chocolate glazed hearkened back to the way Dunkin’ Donuts made them when I was a kid (when their name included the thing they actually focused their attention on).

3. There were two maple trees along the highway — one in full technicolor glory and the second just about to enter it, in the moment where green turns to red that New Englanders know means fall is truly here.

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

I dozed off with my knitting in my lap and just want to go to bed now, so instead of books and yarny stories today, you’re getting a photo of a new sculpture we saw on Saturday.

I like it.

While adapted works rarely live up to the originals, I still enjoy checking them out. Here are ten I’m looking forward to across several media:

1. The Hate U Give film is based on a book by Angie Thomas that I loved.
2. Dumplin’ is coming out sometime on Netflix and is based on a Julie Murphy novel, with original songs by Dolly Parton and Jennifer Aniston playing the mom.
3. I haven’t seen any of the three previous films of the same name, but I’m still looking forward to the Lady Gaga/Bradley Cooper version of A Star Is Born.
4. I read today that there’s a Greatest Showman tribute album coming out next month. It’s a great soundtrack and I always find one or two songs that transcend the original in cover albums.
5. I still haven’t seen the Cormoran Strike series made by the BBC last year from the Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) novels. It’s on sale at Target, though, so I should see if it’s coming to a Redbox or if one of the other nearby library systems has it.
6. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is going to feature Misty Copeland and Helen Mirren, so I am there. Plus, you know I’m a sucker for a Christmas film.
7. A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston is an adaptation of One Thousand and One Nights that came out a few years ago, but the Renée Ahdieh adaptation came in first, and I didn’t want to read two so close together, so put this one off.
8. I’m curious about the impending publication of Marilla of Green Gables, a prequel of sorts to Anne, by Sarah McCoy.
9. The House with the Clock in Its Walls looks a little spooky, but only a little bit, so Rudi and I are going to try to catch it this month.
10. Mary Poppins Returns. I mean I was always going to see it, but add in a cameo by Dick Van Dyke and a lead role for Lin-Manuel Miranda and I’ll queue up for it.

How about you? Do you enjoy adaptations? Are there any you’re looking forward to?