Week In Review: It's August?!

 I'm not sure where the time is going? Living in a pandemic warps time and we're all feeling it so somehow it seems even more pronounced than usual. Summer is usually marked off by how we got out of the house and had some fun. We usually visit our friends in Washington for a week or so in July. June is still warming up from spring so we can get a lot more outside time in. It's my birthday so we usually have some fun that weekend. Gabe usually has a physical summer camp or two. August ends up being pretty hot so we usually do a camping trip with some friends towards the end of the month and sometimes in September. In between all of that we usually get some hikes in with friends. Brunch usually happens once a month with friends. Outdoor neighborhood barbecues usually happen a couple times each month. And throw in some museums, bowling, and movie outings, swimming trips, summer is usually full of fun and entertainment. Usually is the keyword. We didn't quite get that this summer...

We had planned on one outing for this weekend but with the continual illness of our cat Nala we weren't able to. She's been having seizures and we finally got her on some anti-seizure medication a few days ago and not one since Thursday morning! We're taking it day by day with a recheck and assessment in September. We are hoping we can figure out a cause. Because if it's actually a form of epilepsy, she will be on those pills for the rest of her life, which makes leaving for any great length of time impossible. Right now we can handle it. But I'm hoping it's only temporary.

So this has been an unusual summer. I'm trying to look for things to look forward to for our little family. We plan game and move nights. I prepare extra special meals from time to time. We may even try for an arts and crafts fair that is happening each Saturday up north. 

And now it's time to start school...we've opted for online only this year. It starts a week from Tuesday. While I don't feel my state has done enough to combat the virus, I truly feel that his school has been doing their best to be accessible with how everyone feels comfortable. Plus our numbers are going down since more people are wearing masks and taking it seriously (though, not enough).

This is all to say that we have not been doing our usual this summer. Getting outside has been a lot harder this summer. I miss the hikes and camping trips and getting out into nature. So we just make do the best we can. 

This is what we've been doing inside...forts, foxes, and boxes

My cat was sitting on the back of the couch with the sun coming through and I decided the shadow play was appropriate. I'm hurting for pics around this time...ha!

Three Good Things:

1. Nala is actually feeling better since we figured out she has been having seizures and she is on anti-seizure medicine and no seizures now for two whole days!

2.  We celebrated Lammas/Lughnadsah/First Harvest this weekend. I made some no-knead bread, ate chicken and veggie kebabs, and fruit kebabs. We plan on having a fire pit celebration soon depending on the weather and burning our dried sage and giving thanks for the first harvest of the season.

3. I got out of the house this morning. It was cool and quiet. I needed to drop of my library books and I got a breakfast sandwich and a latte to go. Just what I needed.

Reading:

I finished The Shadows by Alex North and Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker.

I'm still reading What Language Is: And What It Isn't and What It Could Be by John McWhorter, How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi,  Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi, Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude Jr., and with Gabe I'm reading the third book in the His Dark Materials series The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman. I'm also listening to Braiding Sweet Grass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. I had a hard time reading last week so I started a couple of others. I'll get through all of these one day! Ha!

Still reading those above! I also started Devolution: Firsthand Account of the Ranier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks

Watching: 

Movies:

I watched You Should Have Left with Kevin Bacon. Not bad at all. A little hokey the last third but a satisfying ending. I rented this on demand with Vudu.

TV:                                              

I'll be finishing up Perry Mason on HBO this week and TNT's The Alienist. I also watched the entire first season of The Babysitter's Club on Netflix. It's a kids show with a G rating but I was so impressed with how they handled really tough and sensitive subjects. I think it's a must-watch for kids and their parents. Astounding.

This week: I've got plans to get Gabe ready for back-to-school. His school is hosting a virtual back-to-school night on Thursday. I'm also hoping to get some of my classes going again.

Looking forward to a hike! As long as Nala stays stable, we plan on heading out for an early morning hike on Thursday or Friday this week. Fingers are crossed.

Joining in with Readerbuzz's Sunday Salon