Archives - Weekly Update

No matter how many times I swear it’s not going to be like this, October is one very crazy month. There are tons of publisher previews that tug me out of the office, and I somehow have events on three Saturdays --- no matter that I promise myself each year that I will not commit to that schedule. Layer in that there’s always a ton going on around the house to say goodbye to summer and prep for winter, and I feel like there is no catching up. My lists have lists; I suppose I should consider this holiday prep when lists again make babies. Plus, there’s that hour that I miss…the one we lost back in March for Daylight Saving Time. I need to hold on one more week to get it back! I am writing this as darkness is just peeling away at 7am.

I am not a huge fan of the weather turning dark so early in the evening. Last night when I swore it was 10:00, it was only 8:00. This is the time of year when people drag a little slower; I am convinced we all need back the hour we lost last March. Folks, hang in there until November 6th when those 60 minutes get returned, but alas darkness arrives an hour earlier as well. Time to move hemispheres!

A sudden cool snap hit the New York area earlier this week, prompting me to do some hasty herb replanting so we could bring them inside. Also, I decided to grab the geraniums and other hearty-looking flowers to shelter them from a possible freeze, which my local nursery, Malanga’s, noted is different from a frost, but could be harmful as well to the plants and just covering them would not be enough. Reading was on my agenda for Monday, not plant rescue, but I quickly rallied for this mission, the results of which you can see above.

B-U-S-Y week! Last Friday night, my husband and I were at the keynote kickoff event for the Morristown Festival of Books where Sebastian Junger was the speaker. I have seen Sebastian speak many times over the years, but that evening discussing TRIBE was truly special. At its heart, the book talks about the power of people coming together and being there for each other. Soldiers who are in combat have each other’s backs, no matter what their political and social habits are beyond the battlefield. There is a comradeship that is lacking when they return, which is jolting. He said the book could have been called "Community," but it would not have had the same resonance. He deftly handled a wide range of audience questions.