I did another honey-colored one. That just happened to be where the best mohair ended up this year.

That’s Dutch for “the garden is beautiful”! One of many useless phrases I’m learning in preparation for the hoped-for Belgium trip. I can also ask if there is a lion in the garden.

I’m an Italian girl. I belong in the hot sultry air of Roma.

Why do I stay here? Because the summer is so paradise, right…

Royal Burgundy Bush Bean
Napoli F1 Carrot
Cosmic Purple Carrot
Optima Lettuce
Habanada Sweet Specialty Pepper
Cinnamon Girl PMR F1 Pumpkin
Sora Radish
Green Machine F1 Summer Squash
Y-Star F1 Summer Squash
Table Sugar F1 Acorn Squash
Green Zebra Tomato
Matt’s Wild Cherry Tomato
Dwarf Jewel Blend Nasturtium

I’d like to travel to

• Florida
• Belgium
• Maine

Maybe be of some help to my m-i-law.

Devote serious time to listening to music.

Devote serious time to being out in nature.

See Rush.

See Weird Al Yankovich.

Attend a couple of beer festivals.

Make yarn.

I may like to join Braver Angels.

I may like to do some volunteer work helping old people.

Maybe get to Montreal and see Cirque du Soleil.

Beautify my surroundings.

Say “yes” to invitations.

Say “any time is good for me.”

Weave?

Bead?

Sew?

I found the most wonderful podcast – SO much better than listening to political stuff, a hole I was falling down:

https://500songs.com/tag/led-zeppelin/

This one for example is about Led Zeppelin; I’ve listened to 3 about Bob, 1 on Janis and 1 on the Stones so far. This one got me thinking about vocalists. There are clips of Robert Plant singing with some of the bands he was in before the Yardbirds; and at one point some producer was trying to make him into a “Tom Jones or Englebert Humperdinck”. In all cases he sounded SO different than he does with Zeppelin. It got me thinking about how Dylan had so many different voices over his career; and during the Janis episode, they had a clip of her very early on singing in a pure Joan Baez style. The voice is truly an instrument. Talented vocalists are those who know how to use it.

Not a humblebrag about how awesome my life is. Honest things I’m thankful as all hell for.

I’m thankful a pregnant 19-year-old went home for pre-natal care and birthed me all healthy-like, and did what she thought was best.

I’m thankful I didn’t get pregnant as a teenager.

I’m thankful that when I spun my car around 180 degrees in the rain on a BQE entrance ramp, nobody was coming up behind me, for the whole amount of time it took me to point myself right again. I think I had to make a K-turn on the ramp.

I’m thankful I set up that interview with the FRBNY and walked into that job.

I’m thankful I never spiraled down so low I couldn’t get back up again.

I’m thankful for the Kinks song “Better Things.” When things are bad, I know tomorrow, you’ll find better things.