Incoming Little Joys

*added after the recording is a link to The Bookish Moment interview from yesterday. ❤️ 

Morning darklings,

It’s time for another edition of Little joys—a newsletter where I break away from the normal format and share things that are making me happy (and hope that you leave a comment or hit reply to do the same).

Straight to it, shall we?

• Almost every day, the hubs and I take tea in the garden. We do our advent calendar there too. You may remember how much we loved making our little crafty village last year, Well, as I was looking at advent calendars for Christmas, I decreed that we would do one every month for always. A bit ambitious. I don’t mean intense ones. I don’t mean ones that cost $50 or have Santa on them, but just do a little something that has a take a pause with each other. September was rocky health-wise, but we started a dinosaur calendar. It’s just plastic dinosaur toys for 25 days. Instead of leaving it at that—because we don’t need toys, do we?—we watch a video or two about the dinosaur we get that day. It’s been great fun. I love us.

• This sneaky rainbow comes from a window cling. There isn’t a day that goes by I’m not pleased about buying it. I never know where the rainbows will land, how they’ll look, or how vivid they’ll be.

• At the free Pearson Air Museum in Vancouver, WA, the hubs and I spent a lovely hour learning all about how important our city was to air travel and the military. We found out that living past 30 as a pilot was a triumph, that planes had cool names like Jenny, and the first female pilot never got her day. I want to read her story, see it on the Big Screen or as a stop-motion animation, I don’t know. I’d tell it, but there are so many more people who would tell it better. I beg of you all, darklings—share her with others. Find someone who will tell the world about her. I’d be happy to help them.

• The Smalls enjoying their cattery as the hubs and I walk to and from the backyard, hearing them as they chat to squirrels, look for them before we go somewhere, only to find them asleep in the little box. Joy.

• A friend brought me her Dolly Parton roses. They smelled exactly like roses should smell. When they fell apart, I made a rose and star jasmine water spray that is light and perfect and feels lovely on my face

• Sometimes I find something I need because it’s so good and lovely and perfect but I definitely don’t need because I have no room. These mugs fit that. They squeeze my heart, just looking at them. But I have so many mugs. A wonderful friend recently gave me an electric mug the same week my mom sent me a mug that reminded her of our trip to LA. I’m swimming in mugs. And still… if these hadn’t been $20 a piece, I would have just claimed another shelf in the kitchen.

• A friend’s yard just being so good.

• The hubs’ delicious squash. My relationship with food has moved back to It’s Complicated, but his veggies remain on the list of foods I can eat. Probably because they are made with love.

• There is an unexplainable amount of care and thoughtfulness in this photo. With the smushy pup named Charlie who needs to be close to me the whole time I’m at Friend #1’s home. With the sticker given to me by Friend #2 (not present during the gifting)—also is my friend’s girlfriend. With the caveat that Friend #1 would have bought it for me had Friend #2 not done so (they were together at the time). With two lovely souls thinking of me at the same time. I mean. ❤️ 

• Moon Spoons finally found a place he can be close to me while also being comfortable. My new chair is perfect and huge and making it so I’m back in my creative space!

and now, some videos and links

• Apex Legends is my favorite video game of the past few years. Most of you know that. The hubs has recently started recording some of our games and turning bits of them into amusing movies. This one is his first, and I love it. There’s a whole silent movie black and white section that brings my heart joy. This one is from his POV, but his next is from mine!

• 45 minutes in my backyard gave me this to smile about. This is just a list, not the recording. One day, I plan to have Birb TV with audio! Until then, just keeping lists and scrollable video proof that my backyard and neighborhood is the coolest stretch of hotels for the birds in the area.

• It never occurred to me to make plastic cauldrons look more realistic. For film, it makes sense. I never worked on anything that called for this, or it would have dawned on me. For Halloween? I’ve only used them a few times in the first place, and the other decor felt far more important—dead bodies in the yard, bloody hands hanging from the ceiling, skinned decapitated heads as centerpieces. But with no party planned, I have fewer extras to worry about. And finally, the hubs and I like where we live—the neighborhood, the house, the front yard with two large trees and canopy filled with birds most mornings, and backyard oasis built by him. So we are going to do up a little witch display in the front. As I was looking around to create a simple tableau, this came up. How cool! Am I right?

• I had to share this delightful lofi with you. It’s been a while—too long, I think. Also, it’s spooky season, and who doesn’t love a ton of ghosts?

• And in case you missed it… my recent Bookish Moment with Sarah E. Burr and J.C. Kenney was a smash hit and filled with laughs, honesty, and one small teaser about Joyce.

Until next time, harness the Little darknesses and embrace the Little things.