Walking back from the garden, we were greeted by this sight. It was nearly 8 p.m., so the sun was just too low to get the full half-circle. But it was still a most lovely way to end the day.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday from That Artsy Reader Girl is a freebie, but I’m tired enough that I’m having trouble coming up with my own topic. So I’m going to riff off Jana’s topic and give you ten authors I’ve read whose next book I’m looking forward to:

1. Sherry Thomas — Luckily, I only have to wait until October for the next Lady Sherlock novel.
2. Robert Galbraith — Similarly, the next Cormoran Strike novel is also due out this fall.
3. Virginia Kantra — I just finished (and adored) Meg and Jo, and at the end the first chapter of Beth and Amy was included. She answered a question on Goodreads that says she’s hoping it will be published later this year, but who knows…
4. Deanna Raybourn — Sure, the latest Veronica Speedwell only just came out this winter, but that doesn’t mean I can’t look forward to where the story goes next.
5. Kate Racculia — I loved Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts and am looking forward to what this author brings out next. Luckily, I can explore her two earlier novels while I wait.
6. Jason Reynolds — I haven’t read everything in his back catalog, but this week brought the news that he has a novel for adults coming out in 2022. He’s such a prolific writer, though, that’s probably half a dozen releases from now.
7. Maia Chance — I love The Discreet Retrieval Agency mystery series and look forward to whenever the next one appears.
8. Sonali Dev — This one is my fault. Her latest book in The Rajes series came out this spring; I just haven’t had a chance to access is yet.
9. Elizabeth Acevedo — Similarly, Clap When You Land also came out this spring, and I just haven’t gotten to it yet .
10. Jasper Fforde — His latest book is already out in the U.K., but won’t reach the U.S. until the fall. I’m looking forward to it already!

How about you? Which author can you not wait to read the next book from?

Do you ever have the feeling you’re forgetting to do something really important? I’ve had that sensation for a week now and I just can’t get past the idea that suddenly August is going to arrive and I’ll be furious with myself…

A friend’s anniversary is this week and another’s birthday. Taxes were due earlier in the month, and I’ve paid all my bills. (doublechecks notes — yup, paid them all…) Summer is a third’ish over, but what is time even?

Is there a work deadline? I mean, there’s always a work deadline, usually behind me. We have several events next month — a virtual work retreat, a virtual summit, a virtual conference — but right now none of those have any deadlines that require work from me…

August 1st was the random due date all the library books were assigned back in March. Could it be as simple as that?

I just don’t know. But at this point, I kind of just want August 1st to arrive so I know what I forgot.

Rudi and I tackled some chores today that took us close to suppertime, so I suggested to him that we get some takeout from our local fish & chip place, which just reopened, and take it up to the park.

With cases spiking around the country, I’m not ready to eat in an area of close proximity to other people, but takeaway works just fine from my perspective. We haven’t taken supper to the park this summer, but lots of people do each evening, so it made sense for us to join the trend.

We each had fish and chips and we split an order of fried pickles (and ranch dressing). And Rudi got a Boddington’s with its funny little ping pong inside the can to make it extra frothy.

The evening’s weather was absolutely perfect in the city. We could see a single rain cloud off in the distance (it looked like a waterfall), but it simply put on a show and then went on its way. The Nationals were playing, so we brought our speaker and listened to the radio broadcast of the game. While there were some defensive issues for both teams, the Nationals bats were on fire, and we trounced the Yankees to make up for the shortened home opener called for rain the other night. I opted to read my book instead of knitting, and we stayed until the seventh inning stretch, which was when even the sidewalk lights weren’t bright enough to read by any longer.

We came home and watched the last couple innings of the game on tv while eating homemade ice cream. It was really the best way to celebrate crossing chores off our lists and a beautiful summer night, pandemic or no.

How is it the last weekend of July already? Wasn’t it just March?

This workweek was so much better than last week in terms of stress and work-life balance, but I still seem to be fighting off exhaustion. So I’m going to try to take this weekend easy again:

• Buy cherries. Sours are already gone and I hear this is the last weekend for sweets.
• Find quarters. Did you know we’re having a nationwide coin shortage? So many businesses had already switched to a cash-free model during the pandemic and now I’m having a really hard time finding places where I can get quarters for laundry. A friend reminded me the Metro machines used to be a reliable source, so I’m going to give that a shot. I welcome any other ideas you may have, commenters.
• Do some online shopping. Maybe check out. Maybe just browser window shop.
• Finish my Smock Madness socks.
• Listen to baseball.
• Read.
• Make more ice cream. Maybe chocolate chip this time.
• Plant some more potatoes and beans. (I found another bag with sprouting potatoes in it when we cleaned the kitchen.)
• Send some mail.
• Back up my phone. (I don’t think I’ve done that this year.)
• Catch up on sleep.

What are you hoping your weekend will include?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. When I went down to the garden Sunday evening, the field was full of dragonflies glittering and glinting in the late day sun.

2. We have had several spectacular thunderstorms in the region this week. Some have been far enough away that we were simply able to keep an eye on the light show from afar, while others flashed and boomed and poured rain down on our neighborhood.

3. We took our lawn chairs, store-brand Cracker Jack, and shelled peanuts up to the park to listen to as much of the game as the Nationals and Yankees were able to cram in before the rain on Opening Day. I forget in the off-season how much knitting one can get done while listening to games on the radio! (I have mixed feelings about the decision to hold professional sport events, but apparently not enough to boycott them, at least at this stage.)

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