sprite writes
broodings from the burrow

March 14, 2022


welp
posted by soe 12:43 pm

Rudi and I tested positive for COVID today.

We’d both been under the impression that spring allergies were plaguing us, an assumption reinforced by local meteorologists who assured us that the region’s pollen charts had suddenly skyrocketed off the charts last week. Rudi’s symptoms are worse than mine, again, in keeping with how we experience allergies (also, boy), so we’d been dosing with allergy meds and largely continuing on with our daily business.

In fact, the only reason I tested was because I was supposed to hang out with my most cautious friend and since I was snuffly I proactively sought to assure him there were no concerns.

Had it been someone else, I probably wouldn’t have given it a second thought. And that’s how we assume we caught it. Because someone else assumed and didn’t test and brought their germs out with them.

Because we’re still careful. We’re vaxxed and boosted. We’re masking indoors and outdoors in crowded spaces (like the farmers market I visited this morning just before testing). I haven’t eaten indoors since … Salt Lake in January … although Rudi has. I have a relatively small footprint — thanks to remote working — and can give someone a rundown of pretty much every place I’ve been since last Sunday.

So, long story short, if you think your allergies seem particularly bad this year, it’s probably worth cracking open a rapid test (and I recognize I say this from a place of luxury in a city where tests are free and plentiful and handed out at most of our branch libraries) and making sure before you run out to the grocery store or work or a kid’s event.

And for goodness’ sake — keep wearing your mask so people like me don’t accidentally make you sick, too!

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March 11, 2022


colorful candy, shared enjoyment, and post-work stroll
posted by soe 1:17 am

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Jordan almonds in Easter hues from the Italian shop.

2. My friend gave Planet Word a thumbs up when we visited on Sunday.

3. Walking in the evening with Rudi. (I’m looking forward to evening light returning in just a few days!)

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

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March 10, 2022


stuck
posted by soe 1:26 am

I’ll admit I haven’t been doing a ton of knitting or reading recently. Sock Madness has stalled for me at 17 rows of knitting in a week, which makes finishing a pair in a second wholly unlikely. Tonight’s contribution to the endeavor was finding a cable needle.

I’m having a little more success reading in print. I have a book that I’m making progress through, albeit it slowly. I like the characters and the plot, but I’m loathe to see unhappiness come their way, which is surely has to for a short while in order to advance the plot. That I know the ending will be happy is probably what keeps me plodding along.

What’s had the most resonance lately is the audiobook of Stephen Spotswood’s Fortune Favors the Dead, a gumshoe novel featuring two female PIs in 1945 New York City, one of whom has MS and the other who is a bi former-circus employee. I don’t know if I’d be speeding through it quite so much if I were reading it in print; the reader does a good job honoring the this-side-of-parody approach Spotswood takes, which makes it a fun listen.

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March 9, 2022


winter-blooming jasmine
posted by soe 1:09 am

Winter-Blooming Jasmine

One of the things I appreciate most about the coolest months in D.C. is the preponderance of winter-blooming jasmine you see around the city, just waiting to make sure you know that spring is right around the corner.

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March 8, 2022


top ten favorite books featuring found or adopted families
posted by soe 1:58 am

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic from That Artsy Reader Girl asks us to share books with our favorite tropes. I thought I’d share ten books featuring adopted or found families:

  1. Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
  2. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
  3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
  4. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
  5. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  6. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
  7. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
  8. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
  9. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
  10. The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde

Do you have any books you read featuring adopted or found families?

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March 5, 2022


weekend planning
posted by soe 1:04 am

Rudi’s off coaching (March is the month when he’s away most), so I’m on my own this weekend. Here’s how I’m hoping to fill it:

  • Knitting on my Sock Madness sock
  • Waking up the garden and planting peas
  • Watching or listening to the UConn women’s basketball game
  • Reading
  • Going back to Planet Word with a friend I hyped it to
  • Shopping (or, at least, browsing) at my local bookstore’s member sale
  • Picking up veggie sausages for red beans and rice at the farmers market
  • Doing laundry (Rudi picked up quarters before he left yesterday)
  • Spending time outside

How are you hoping to spend your time this weekend?

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