February 2025: Dark Have Been My Dreams of Late

Oh hello! The world is just getting weirder, but there are some glimmers. People are pushing back, standing up, and doing the right thing. It's hard to even keep track of what is going on in the USA right now, but I'm pretty sure the rest of the world thinks we are mostly complete idiots. Which we deserve.

ANYWAY. Here are a few of my own glimmers from this past February. Just to keep track.

Organic Farming Conference

I got to attend an incredible 1-day conference put on by NOFA-VT (Northeast Organic Farmers Association of Vermont) and went to sessions of Vermont food security, intentional communities, and food hubs (which are like distribution and marketing facilities that help local farms get produce out to more people). I am very inspired to learn more about the connections between soil health, relocalized agriculture, and improved public health. I'm pretty sure this is already a thing, but I want to find the people who know about it and talk to them! Also I can't wait to go back next year.

Vermont Senator Peter Welch spoke at the opening of the conference. Cool!

More Snowshoeing

I managed to get out into the woods on snowshoes 3 times this winter. On my second trip, the woods were full of perfect fluffy snow and at one point I just flopped onto my back by the side of the trail and stared up at the tree branches and the sky. I thought about how each tree is like its own person and I was in their neighborhood and they have been there for years and will be there for years more. I've been reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer and thinking a lot about how humans are nature, and nature is full of creatures that we walk in kinship with, and how grateful I am to live near trees and woods.

 

Annual Museum Trip to MassMoCA

Yep, we wended our way to North Adams once again to go on our annual pilgrimage to the Museum of Contemporary Art there. This time we really like the Road to Hybridabad installation by Osman Khan. It is a multi-media fantastical imagining of a US+Pakistan+Muslim+AI journey. It included information on djinns/genies/I Dream of Jeannie, flying carpets, a re-reading room full of texts to reconsider, and a "Land of Milk & Honey" that was full of convenience store shelves filled with conventional milk + honey products (think milk chocolate bars and Honey Crisp cereal). It was very cool. We also played a long time in the Gunnar Schonbeck experiential music room and I got to see some of the Lori Anderson installations for the first time (they were always too crowded before).

magical being + moon craft, Osman Khan

Scheherezade 2.0 will tell you stories

Schedule in the "re-reading room", Osman Khan

Another exhibit was about 2-spirit people in indigenous & queery communities, called Power Full Because We're Different, with a huge room divided into two parts, one light and serene, one dark and pulsing with music

A Prayer for the Internet by Petra Szilagyi

CRAVING SALAD

It's that time of year when I've had ENOUGH of carb-y winter foods and suddenly my body-mind switches over to wanting lots of green and crunchy things. We've been having some toothsome arugula-laden salads lately. I can't wait until the snow thaws and the dandelions come up and then I'll EAT THEM!

 

100+ Pancakes

At work there was a breakfast-for-lunch day and I volunteered to make pancakes for an hour. Here is only part of what I made--I think it was well over 100 pancakes. I like making pancakes.

January 2025: And So It Begins.

The month of January felt really long and chaotic. First there was the joy of having some time off, the fresh feeling of New Year's and a birthday. Spending time with family and having some cake. Then, Los Angeles burned down. Apart from the horror of watching this happen, we have family who live there and were evacuated, so we were concerned about them and watched the fire perimeter creeping toward their home (it was okay). Then, the new fascist regime took the reins of power in this country and started wreaking hateful, reckless, idiotic havoc. They don't care about anything but themselves, and they definitely don't care about the America that I was raised in and that I loved for its openness, its brotherly courage, and its dedication to freedom, self-expression and the pursuit of happiness. These new, self-centered, twisted people want 100% of the power and the money, and they don't care about anyone's happiness or dignity or humanity. I am desperate to find places to help and voices of hope or just anyone who has a plan, but I have not found much of that yet.

ANYWAY. I still have a list of some things I did this month, and I did enjoy them. It's not frivolous to enjoy some parts of life, otherwise THEY will have won and beat us down completely. Just know that behind this list is an apocalyptic backdrop that is making me and many other people feel sad, hopeless, furious, depressed, outraged, disgusted, and much more.

Local Meat: Investing in Community

For years I have said I wanted to buy meat locally so I know how the animals were raised, that they were cared for and treated humanely, and that I'm supporting somebody in my own community. This January I took action! I have started going to the local winter farmer's market that happens every Saturday. I also go weekly to a farmstand that is practically on my way home from work and pick up beautiful large local eggs and any other things we need--onions or mushrooms for example. I strongly believe that investing back into our communities and local food systems can help sustain us now and into the precarious future. So far I've gotten local beef, chicken, and pork, including a ham steak. It's all been delicious, especially the local chicken.

Chicken thighs, stew beef & eggs from the Farmer's Market

Ground beef, mushrooms, eggs & onions from the farm stand

Bread Machine & English Muffins

One of us was given a small bread machine for Christmas, and we've been experimenting with making 1-pound loaves (which is the capacity of the machine). We've found that a 1-pound loaf is the perfect amount to bake up fresh and eat with dinner--alongside some thick black bean soup for example. The bread machine is really easy to use and an exciting addition to our appliance family.

Butter melting into fresh warm bread + black bean soup

I also made some English muffins this month from sourdough starter discard. They are not hard to make and quite yummy! I like to eat them toasted with butter and orange marmalade.

Miso Soup Season

In addition to buying meat locally, I'm also still trying to have several vegetarian meals each week because I think non-meat days are important. One belly-warming combo is to make a batch of miso soup and a batch of brown rice, and then put the hot warm rice into the soup for a nourishing and satisfying meal. For this soup I used the shiitake mushrooms shown in the farm stand photo above.

I like to make diagrams of meals so I remember the ingredients

Gaming Log

One of my newer hobbies is playing games on our Nintendo Switch system. I've now made my way through at least 9 different games, include Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild & also Tears of the Kingdom, Inside, Portal & Portal 2, and Wytchwood. Exploring the worlds and quirks of each game is delightful. My most recent game was called "Snufkin, Melody of Moominvalley" and my partner saw this cute Moomin notebook and had to get it for me. I immediately decided to use it as a little gaming log so I can keep track of what I'm playing and how I liked it. (I gave Snufkin 3 out of 5 stars, for example. Breath of the Wild got 5 stars and 3 plus signs because it's my FAVORITE.)

Cover of my Moomin notebook

One of my gaming entries (for Snufkin)

Photos

I like to take pictures of squash. Sometimes I draw them later, sometimes I just admire the pictures.

I took this at golden hour (sunset aka 4:30 pm) while snowshoe-ing in the woods. Gorgeous.

December 2024: Wrapping the Year

Goodbye, 2024! This year seemed okay. I've taken some steps to take better care of myself. I am grateful for every day of the year, even ones that felt bad. I am grateful for those who walk alongside me. I wish them care and freedom and peace.

Here are a few highlights from December, including my final list of books read.

Screenprinting

Our department at work had a screenprinting workshop where we made T-shirts printed with our own designs. Screenprinting is cool! Once you have your screen made, it's possible to crank out hundreds of copies of the design. I only made two shirts of my design, which was a drawing of some squash with the words "GOOD FOR YOU." We did this at First Proof Press in Brattleboro, VT.

My screen-printing station

Fancy lunch

I had an oxtail stew. I'm so glad I tried it! It was prepared in French bistro style in a simple thyme-infused sauce over gnocchi. Savory, hearty, rich, delicious. Moral: try things that are new-to-you. Within reason of course. Made by The Restaurant at Burdick's in Walpole, NH.

Sketching

I've been enjoying sketching with pencils and markers. It's a nice way to wind down in the evening, or to keep myself motivated during long meetings or movies. For example, here are some sketches I made while watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy (our annual December tradition).

Lord of the Rings shapes & characters

I'm going through a squash obsession
(butternut squash in alcohol marker + pencil)

Year in Books

In 2025 I read 19 books. Here are screenshots from my Goodreads account.

Most surprising: I was surprised how much I liked A Court of Thorns & Roses. I am some kind of snob and thought that a massive best-seller would be unreadable. But it's great! It's popular for a reason--it's a true fairy tale romance with a fair share of gore and intrigue. I'll definitely move on to #2 in the series.

Most thought-provoking: Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party's Promise to the People by Kekla Magoun was excellent and clearly written. I learned so much about the BPP and the covert operations carried out by the US government against them. Highly recommend this book.

Most boring: Ugh I really didn't like A Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg. It was dorky and cloying and slow. I finished it but it took weeks.

Most twisted: Earthlings by Sayaka Murata is completely bonkers. When I was checking it out the librarian gave me a look and said, "How much have you researched this?" Well, not at all. She said that she had to keep reading to find out what happened, and once I started the book I did the same. The plot is very bizarre and involves a lot of breaking of taboos.

Most underlining: I read The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk again this year because it was the textbook for a psychology class I took in the fall. Of course, having an instructor explain chapters in detail and reinforce learning in multiple ways helped me get much more out of the book. It contains super interesting information on how the brain works, how we can get disconnected from our own emotions, and the utmost important of being a kind, supportive parent.

 

Photos 

We went to a holiday bazaar at a church and had hot soup.
They had set up the "Nutcracker Cafe" with decorated tables
where peoples could eat their soup.

I was already obsessed with squash when I met a kitten
named Squash at an area humane society! I fell in love with
this little guy (but was not able to adopt him).

Drawers in the shop where we did screen-printing

A small printing press

More printing equipment

Screen for a custom print job

Celebrating a birthday with pastry & coffee

I was SO proud of this "wrapping station" where
any family member could wrap presents in the days
before Christmas. It was super handy.

 

YES NO vember 2024

With American Thanksgiving coming on the third-to-last day of the month, November seemed to last forever. And it was action-packed! Here's a look at some things I did last month.

First Ice Skating of the Season

After getting into roller skating in the late summer and early fall, ice skating felt difficult! Teetering on one narrow blade is terrifying compared to cruising on four softish wheels. But my muscle memory came back eventually.

Vowing to Be More Involved Locally

I don't know what is going on with our country, but I can't believe that tens of millions of my fellow Americans are idiots and fueled by hate. And also, isn't hating people because they hate people the same as hating people? I don't get it. I want to interact with others and see what they're up to.  And I want to be a more active part of the small, sweet community that is my home. To start with, I'm trying to go out more often and talk to people. I downloaded an app with local events and announcements. One of the first things I did was go to a pop-up of Green Mountain Ramen. I had a delicious bowl of mostly homemade, mostly local ramen with pork belly and organic noodles. We talked about how food is a kind of health-care and how ramen came about because of people in Japan helping each other after the devastations of nuclear bombing. It was an amazing conversation and the ramen was tasty.

Popup shop on a rainy evening

For takeout, broth comes in a separate container

Trip to Burlington

I was invited to a work event in the Vermont city of Burlington, over 2 hours away from where I live. We stayed at a hotel with a view of Lake Champlain. We also volunteered at a local community farm called Intervale. My team's project was to clear overgrown grass away from a field of tiny balsam poplar trees.

Teamwork at Intervale Community Farm

Trauma Class

My community college class kind of peaked in November as we learned about the 6 ways to befriend the emotional brain, according to Bessel van der Kolk's book The Body Keeps the Score. If I were to summarize, the ways to befriend the emotional brain include going through the physical body (such as with yoga, movement, therapeutic massage) and also learning to recognize and name emotions that you're experiencing. Finding community also helps, like joining with others in singing or dancing or theatre. It's a fascinating class and I'm learning a lot about my own brain and emotions.

Fine Dining in Brattleboro

We got a gift certificate to one of the best restaurants in town, so the family went out on an ordinary Thursday to be amazed by the yummy food at Peter Havens. I had a butter-soft beef tenderloin with truffled mashed potatoes, and a companion had seared scallops with risotto and asparagus. I also splurged on some oysters, because why not!

Oysters from Duxbury, Massachusetts

This piece of beef was truly delectable

Scallops are hiding below some sunflower sprouts and lentils

First Snow!

We had a white Thanksgiving! I even cleared out the garage enough to put my car away a few days beforehand. Winter still exists.

Photos

100% agree

Someone is ready for outdoor potato cannon project

Pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving

October's Over 2024

Hello dear reader! I'm deterined to keep posting monthly summaries this year. Here are some notes from this past month! I hope that you are doing okay wherever you are, whenever you read this.

 

Cozy Gaming

Playing video games has been a nice relaxing hobby lately. In October I finally finished two long-playing games. Wytchwood is a cute little "fetch & carry" game with a slightly sinister vibe (that I like). It took me about 3 years to complete the gameplay because I only like playing it at the beginning of fall. This year I finally finished it up. I recommend it!

I also "completed" The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which I'd been playing for over a year. I put "completed" in quotes because I will probably keep playing it (and its predecessor, Breath of the Wild). The open world is so fascinating to roam and there are still quests and goodies to find. But I defeated the final boss and am very proud of myself. 

I also started and finished Inside, recommended by a coworker, and it was excellent. I was explaining that I like puzzle games in a post-apocalyptic setting, and this fits the bill exactly. It was so addictive that I played every chance I got and finished in under a week. Then I accidentally reset the puzzles and decided to play through just those parts again. Love it.

 

First Frost

The weather is turning to cold and night-time temps dipped below freezing this month, which put an end to the tender herbs and tomatoes in the garden. We made a batch of pesto with our basil before the frost came. (Note to self: you do not have to put ALL the pine nuts into a batch of pesto; just add a reasonable amount and taste as you go.)

Espresso

No I'm not talking about the 2024 Sabrina Carpenter hit. I'm talking about the original concentrated coffee beverage. I've been kind of dragging lately and feeling low on energy, so I decided to try boosting my mornings now and then with a tiny homemade espresso. I think that just the ritual of preparing it is kind of energizing--I have a small stove-top espresso-maker that hisses out a dark demi-tasse that I then sip with tons of sugar added. Yum!

Halloween

I wasn't sure we'd be celebrating this year but in the end a family member did put on my emergency T-Rex costume and went trick-or-treating. Also I wore my emergency J.S. Bach outfit on a work video call. I enjoyed surprising my co-workers with my snow-white Bach wig and "composer jacket" that I've had since high-school. Good to have those emergency outfits ready, you know?

Tell me about you? How was October in your world?

Remember September?

I'm not so sure about September 2024. I usually love September as a time for back-to-school vibes--fresh pencils and plaid skirts and rosy apples and crisp note-paper, stuff like that. This year had a little of that feeling, but mostly it felt like a rush. But here are a few things!

New 2025 Hobonichi Journal

September is Hobonichi season, when I order myself a new Japanese planner to use for the following year. For the past 4 years I have been using the "avec" style of Hobonichi journals to make small notes or drawings or collages each day--this style has two small planners that cover 6 months each. You can see this year's pair on the left of this photo. But I've also long wanted a Hobonichi cover, which is usually a fabric book-cover that you insert a journal into. This year I treated myself to a 2025 Hobonichi full-year journal, with an orange and blue cover and a plastic "cover on cover" over that. It has cute little pockets and ribbons (it's on the right below, and in the 2 photos below that).

Common Merganser

I love the pointy silhouettes of mergansers, which are water-birds I sometimes see when I'm out kayaking.

 

Brattleboro Museum & Art Center

I got to see the exhibits at our local museum this past month. They always have such neat stuff!

Harp by Benedict Scheuer, Hand-dyed silk

 

Coyote Imagery by Duane Slick

Raven sculpture by Susan Brearey

Spacemosque is an exhibition about a vessel from the future that grants one prayer per 24 hours and is infused with Islamic mysticism in a genre the artist, Saks Afridi, calls "Sci-fi Sufism." I love it so much.

Spacetime 2019, part of the Spacemosque installation by Saks Afridi

Breath of the Beast by Ilana Manolson, Acrylic on Yupo paper

Perfume Nerdery

I haven't ordered any more perfume samples (they can add up!) but I've started testing and organizing the samples and bottles that I do have. I got a little index card holder and am making one card for each fragrance. I print out the notes and accords and stick them on the back of each card. I'm writing notes on the cards about what I like/notice/dislike about each perfume.

Index card case on bottom right

Notes printed from Fragrantica.com

Fall begins!

Here's what I like to do when Autumn starts. Drink more tea. Play the game Wytchwood on the Nintendo Switch. And get out my "Mabon" Oracle deck and start pulling cards from it. This year I'm also adding in the deck I made myself that features my personal values and is decorated with copyright-free images (see my July post). In this spread I got the Wool card (which is about opportunities for coziness and self-care) and the No-Mind card. Lovely.