Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. I told you back in the spring about a project that Rudi and a friend of his started where they match bikes that people weren’t using anymore with essential workers who needed them. This week they were honored with a microgrant from The Awesome Foundation.

2. Several abstracts my department submitted to an upcoming conference were accepted, so my younger colleagues and I will all be giving short, pre-recorded talks this fall. (The fact that they will be pre-recorded, rather than live and in person, is what makes this beautiful, rather than nauseating.

3. A friend’s birthday was today. Usually we sing to his voicemail, but tonight he picked up the line, so we got to catch up.

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

As you can see, I’ve been knitting! I have at least one and a half more repeats of the pattern, I think, before I decrease for the toe. But I’m definitely nearly there!

I recently finished both print and audiobooks, so technically I’m less in the midst of reading Stacey Lee’s The Downstairs Girl and more that I’m about to start it. Set in Atlanta in the late 1800s, the novel focuses on an Asian American teen who works as a lady’s maid by day and an anonymous advice columnist by night.

Head to As Kat Knits to see what else folks are working their way through.

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.