Before I Forget // September

If you need me, I’m probably picking tomatoes 🍅

Photo by Vince Lee on Unsplash

It’s fully tomato season here and my garden is practically dripping with them. The plants that fit in the palm of my hand in May are now spilling out of their beds. All summer I’ve watched them grow little by little, almost imperceptibly taking over, stretching their limbs over, through, and around any obstacle that would impede their growth.

The babies who fit in the cradle of my elbow what seems like last week are off to school and like the tomato plants, I can feel the limbs of my body and mind stretching, growing, taking over their newfound space.

Projects I planted in the spring are growing steadily, little by little. It’s as infuriating as it is amazing, how these small, steady efforts add up over time. But it’s more than that. The tomato harvest is an absolute delight. I love looking out my window and seeing the round red jewels hanging on their vines. It’s satisfying to watch my word count climb, to grab heavier and heavier dumbbells in the gym. I like results, the after, the happy ending. I’m generally less enthusiastic about the middle, the unremarkable, unglamorous grind.

Maybe it’s nostalgia, but I’m feeling a new gratitude for the middle. The mornings spent watering the garden with James, afternoons tapping out words that may never see the light of day, hours spent getting stronger in every sense of the word. For once in my destination obsessed life, I find myself enjoying the journey or whatever (she says with a great roll of the eyes).

The garden doesn’t grow after one watering and a novel doesn’t get written in one sitting (or even one draft). Babies don’t become kindergarteners in a single blink (even though it feels that way) and muscles don’t grow overnight. Healing doesn’t happen in a single moment.¹ It happens little by little, sometimes imperceptibly, until one day you look in the mirror and can see, to your surprise and delight, how you’ve grown.

Reading

Waiting for Tom Hanks by

Kerry Winfrey

Well this was just a delight and Kerry Winfrey is as wonderful in person as you’d imagine. She signed books at

The Storyline

for Bookstore Romance Day and spent time talking with readers and aspiring authors, connecting and encouraging a long line of fans all morning long. Her books are a go to comfort read for me and this one did not disappoint. Columbus friends will appreciate the familiar locations.

The Paris Novel by

Ruth Reichl

Come for the food writing, stay for the story. I’ve been a fan of Ruth Reichl’s food writing for years and was excited to see how she would infuse her culinary flavor into fiction. I loved Stella and Jules and the whole gang of ragtag Tumbleweeds. Her adventures in Paris were so fun to get swept away in. Like a good meal, I closed the back cover feeling both satisfied and craving more.

Eating

Jeff and I are celebrating the anniversary of our engagement this Friday! To mark the occasion we’re taking the kids to our favorite bakery and a walk in the park where we met and got engaged. Look at those kids!

The Chocolate Chip Oat Bars from Molly Yeh’s Home Is Where the Eggs Are were the perfect afternoon treat. Packed with feel good ingredients and topped with a generous handful of chocolate chips, these no bake bars kept kids full and happy after school.

We’ll be eating this basil pesto from Love and Lemons all winter long thanks to the basil that is abundant in the garden. I quadrupled the recipe and separated it into several containers to stash in the freezer.

Speaking of the garden, our favorite way to use over grown zucchini is to bake a batch of lemon zucchini bread.

You already know about the cherry tomatoes and this recipe for Marinated Cherry Tomatoes and Burrata is our favorite way to eat them.

sheet-pan chili crisp salmon and snap peas

Loving

As the election approaches, I’ve been spending more time than usual looking to AllSides. Their dissection of news stories and thorough explanations of how to identify bias in the news have made me a more informed and confident voter.

Am I the last person on earth to watch The Chosen? I guess I thought it was going to be like a lot of Christian entertainment; poorly made propaganda for Jesus that generally gives me the ick. But no!! This series is truly incredible.

The Papaya reusable paper towels are worth the hype.

Long Live Procrasti-cleaning!!

I’m very into a sub genre of music I’m going to call either Sad Christian Girl or Christian Music That Doesn’t Suck. Both are accurate. Am I the only one who’s kind of over the whole Sway and Pray vibe? And why does all of it sound exactly the same? I want something I can play in my van with the windows down. I want something I’ll need to unpack with my therapist. I want something that makes me feel like I’m starring in a training montage when I’m actually just lifting in my basement.

Contemplating

1. Unless you’re Jesus.