I took today off as a personal day and headed out to Shenandoah National Park to catch some fall foliage. It ended up being a beautiful autumn day (instead of full of rain, the way the forecast predicted), culminating at the area called Big Meadow just as the setting sun blanketed it in rosy light. Expect photos over the weekend.

And I still have two whole gorgeous days left of weekend!

I’m planning on making a couple of Coffeeneuring bike rides and spending time at the garden (I picked the last cucumber midweek, but didn’t pull up the vine. I’m also trying to trim back the tomato vines each week with the hopes of pouring life energy to the green tomatoes that remain. It also just seems like a great weekend to sit and read and knit outside.

I’ll go to the farmers market on Sunday, but I don’t know that I particularly need a whole lot. I hadn’t expected to spend most of October solo, so my shopping before Rudi left ran towards two people eating, one of whom actually enjoyed cooking things. Maybe I’ll try thumbing through my cookbooks (just because I don’t like to cook doesn’t mean I don’t like to be able to point others toward what I want to eat) and do a little meal planning. That might help me avoid the dinner of takeout french fries and peanut butter cups (protein!) I had one night this week. I have a couple heads of broccoli that could be turned into a quiche, for instance. I could also bake a pie with some of my apples.

Rudi and I got one of the Halloween strands of lights up the weekend he bought them, but left the others to “work on later.” This seems like a good later, particularly since it’s dark by 7 now.

With Rudi gone for a while, it is left to the person remaining in the Burrow to clean and organize it. I’m going to get started with that this weekend. Part of that cleaning definitely includes several loads of laundry.

And I’m also going to get some more postcards out to voters in swing states. Realistically, this might be the last weekend that’s a feasible activity.

Finally, I’d definitely like to catch up with a friend or two, be it in person or over the phone.

What’s on your weekend to-do list?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Rudi has gone out to Salt Lake for the foreseeable future. I miss him, but I think it will be good for both him and his mom. I’m glad that he had the flexibility to be able to go.

2. After hitting four stores over three days in search of bathroom cleaner and finding only empty shelves, I stop at the local mom & pop, where their shelves are full. They also had baking supplies back in the spring, so I must remember to hit them up earlier in my hunt.

3. I had pre-ordered cinnamon buns to pick up at Sunday’s market before we knew Rudi would be gone, which meant I had four to eat over the week, rather than just Sunday and Monday breakfast.

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

Here’s today’s library haul and half a pair of Halloween socks. (Ends are woven in but not trimmed on sock #1 and the stitch marker is still hanging out there for safe keeping.)

I believe The Resisters is about dystopian feminist baseball, and How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is described as Princess Leia meets The Princess Bride. Who wouldn’t want to read that?!

Head over to As Kat Knits to see what else is going on with crafters who read and readers who craft!

Like everyone else, I’m tired of this pandemic. I am not unique in this, although I confess that my coping mechanisms feel a little frayed at this point and I am PMsing, so everything feels super urgent and extreme.

Some of the members of my volleyball team emailed today. Our league is starting up an outdoor Sunday afternoon series (with a deadline to sign up of tomorrow), and they proposed we join with the caveat that we, at least, wear masks (the official rules say you just have to wear them if you’re on the sideline) and that if it seemed like people were idiots we could just walk away.

I want to join them for this so badly. They were a big part of my social network prior to the pandemic, with a year’s worth of weekly games and nights at bars under our belts. Plus, I’m just not getting as much outside time or exercise as I should, and I’m suffering for it. And with Rudi gone at his mom’s for the foreseeable future, my bubble shrinks to one person who I see occasionally and that seems like a problem.

Plus, there’s the possibility that we have to move out and take care of his mom and then this becomes my last chance. (There is at least an equal chance that we stay here and find some alternative care situation out there, so take that as you will.)

However, I don’t think I should play. Cases in D.C. have doubled in the last month. (Honestly, I don’t know how much of that can be traced to federal leaders behaving irresponsibly or to an uptick in college students with off-campus housing returning to the area or to just normal increases with the cooling weather.) People exercising seem to be among the worst violators of the mask rule, and I don’t anticipate that volleyballers would be any better, particularly as it’s a segment of the population that skews younger.

I’m not at particular risk and I’ve been super careful up to this point — always wearing a mask, not traveling, keeping my indoor public time to a minimum — in part so that if our family, who are in higher risk categories, had sudden health issues I could get to them without feeling particularly worried I’d make things worse.

Plus, there’s the financial angle to consider. If we as a group or individually do decide that it’s not a good idea and it’s too much risk, then that’s a bunch of money essentially lost (urban team sports are a rip-off). And with only one income supporting us now in two cities, I simply can’t justify throwing money away. Signing up would be a luxury; if it’s one I’ll benefit from, then it’s worth it, otherwise it’s a waste.

So there you have it: want vs. should in a late-night incoherent rambling.

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday from That Artsy Reader Girl asks us to consider super long book titles. Did you know that according to this article, fiction titles should have no more than five words in it and non-fiction no more than ten, including any subtitle.

That sounds … silly. But it may not be wholly inaccurate if my own Goodreads list is any indication.

Anyway, here are ten books I’ve enjoyed that have many more words than a successful titles should:

1. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows — This one has so many words I often wonder if I’ve gotten them all in or if a few extra have snuck in under the radar. I imagine it’s like a large family; it takes you a while to ascertain that everyone in a room belongs there.
2. Crazy ’08: How a Cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads, and Magnates Created the Greatest Year in Baseball History by Cait Murphy — I loved this book about baseball at the turn of the 20th century.
3. The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine who Outwitted America’s Enemies by Jason Fagone — Elizebeth Smith Friedman’s story is brought to light.
4. Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks by Jason Reynolds — Reynolds tells the story of ten middle-schooler’s trips home from school.
5. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg — A classic!
6. Vivian Apple at the End of the World by Katie Coyle — I was reading this book and its sequel just before the 2016 election and the fact that real life didn’t get the kick-ass feminist ending this pair of novels did just about ruined me.
7. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg — I feel like so many of us came to this novel through the movie that we forget that’s an abbreviated title.
8. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia — A recent favorite based on African and Black folklore and mythology.
9. The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall — I found this book old-fashioned and charming.
10. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by M. Catherynne Valente — Kudos to Valente for getting all these words in without the need for a colon! I should really track down the second book in this middle-grade fantasy series.

How about you? Do you think the length of a book title matters? Are you inclined to forget a book’s title if it goes on for too long?

Saturday marked the start of the annual seven-week-long Coffeeneuring Challenge, which pairs riding bikes and drinking hot beverages (not at the same time). It is an enjoyable rite of fall, and you can even take your hot beverages with you, as long as you stop in different spots to drink them each time. Find the rules here if you’re interested in riding along.

For Five Coffee Roasters
2000 L St., N.W.
Saturday, Oct. 10, late afternoon
Conditions: Overcast, but dry

An afternoon nap and COVID hours on Saturday meant my options were limited as I headed out after four. For Five Coffee Roasters had opened in the West End earlier this year and it seemed reasonable to stop in before they closed at 5.

There are several rectangular bike racks on that block, so I had no problem locking up right outside. Their patio was full, but I haven’t gotten brave enough to eat outside yet anyway, so I wasn’t worried.

Even if you didn’t know this was a transplant from NYC before you arrived, you could figure it out when you arrived. It’s all black and silver and sharp lines and hip pre-corporate vibes.

They had somewhere in the range of 10 loose leaf teas, including a Nepalese option, which is what I chose. The tea was hot and strong, and I don’t know what else you could look for in a cuppa. I give them kudos to having black tea options other than English breakfast and Earl Grey.

When asked about contents of the bakery case, the barista confided he really liked the cinnamon buns. Probably earlier in the day they were delicious. However, after sitting out under a heat lamp all day, mine turned out to be dry and uninspiring. I’d definitely keep time of day in mind in the future if considering dessert, since nothing is covered.

However, I did ask the barista about their hot chocolate and he informed me they make it with chocolate ganache. So I’ll definitely be back to try that option.

I walked the bike over to seating area outside the nearby elementary school, where I could read eat and drink sans mask without worrying about being in others’ vicinity for a while. I then biked over to Trader Joe’s and stopped at the garden, as well, to pick tomatoes in the fading light.

Mileage: 2.15 miles