Search
Search
In Which Lunchtime Journaling was Supplanted by The Bad Batch.

In Which Lunchtime Journaling was Supplanted by The Bad Batch.

I didn’t get a chance to write at lunch today. I slept in late and spent the entire morning that was left catching up on schoolwork with the kids. Then after a quick lunch we watched the first two episodes of the second season of Star Wars Bad Batch, which dropped today. In our house Star Wars episode release days are a sort of holiday and we watch them in the middle of the day as a general rule. (This is in part because Dom hates to be spoiled but his job requires him to be on social media.)

The Bad Batch is a family favorite, especially with Sophie, and no one was disappointed. After our watch we did get in some afternoon read alouds– with a break for popcorn in the middle of the afternoon. Today’s reads included The Golden Fleece by Padraic Colum, The Outermost House by Henry Beston (a natural history/memoir of a year spent on Cape Cod in the 1920s), The World’s Story, Microbe Hunters, and the day’s lectionary readings.

We had miso soup with udon and glass noodles for dinner. And green tea. A nice hot meal for a cold and rainy day.

Tempers have been fractious after several days of being stuck indoors. Yesterday they at least had the thrill of Lucy’s birthday presents. Today there was just a general blah and I had to referee several quarrels.

After the kids were in bed Dom and I watched the newest episode of The Rookie– Nathan Fillion is our favorite. Then I had a little snuggle with Lucy who was still awake because she’s deep in a Lord of the Rings reread and I agreed with her that no reasonable person can sleep when the Battle of the Pelennor Fields is in full sway. I chatted with her and brushed and braided her hair and helped her find cooler pajamas– her loft bed gets rather warm sometimes and that also makes it hard to fall asleep.

Now the house is quiet. I hear rain falling outside. The living room is sparkling with Christmas lights and the tree is still delightfully glittery. I want to leave it up forever. Or at least until the days are longer and less bleak. But this is why we buy a live tree, if we had a fake one it might never come down.

I’ve started listening to the audiobook of Persuasion, Alison Larkin narrating. I finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, which I didn’t much like– too bleak and depressing with no hope at the end for a better life. I’m about to start Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel, whose previous novel, Station Eleven, was one that I enjoyed very much.

I’ve also been reading Waiting for the Word by Malcolm Guide, a lovely poetry collection for Advent and the Christmas season. I like to pop over to his blog and listen to him read each day’s poem. His YouTube channel has become one of my favorite haunts. I absolutely adore the way he invites the audience into his study like a dear old friend who is stopping by for a visit. He shows you about his bookshelves as he puffs on his pipe or sips some whiskey. He doesn’t just read a poem, he talks about the poets, makes connections, talks theology and craft and prosody. It’s quite delightful. And really he is quite a hobbit himself and feels like he’d have been quite at home with the Inklings. Do check it out if you don’t know him.

And now I really should go take my shower and curl in bed to read a chapter before going to sleep. Tomorrow is more school plus taking poor Bella to the dentist for a filling. And I have to figure out what I can make for dinner. Will I have time to start some bean soup and make a quick bread?

Share:FacebookX
Join the discussion

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

2 comments
  • Nice to read you again, I enjoy your media recommendations. At leadt the books!
    The Outermost House is a true New England classic. I’m about to start another: We Took to The Woods, about moving to Rangely, Maine in the 1940s.

Archives

Categories