Real Life vs. The Internet

I know I haven't posted that much this year, but that's because I've been livin' life in the real world! Going to work, doing chores, taking kids to playgrounds, cutting flowers, etc. etc. I thought I would pop in here today because yikes, have you seen the state of the Internet? I made the mistake of logging on to Facebook the other day and was immediately bombarded with fake photos, fake videos, and fake news stories. Pinterest is all AI generated these days which is only the tip of the iceberg. Substack and YouTube are OK, with a little too much of a lean toward "curation" and "aesthetic". If one more 20-something tells me to "romanticize my life" you'll know, because you'll hear my scream wherever you are.

I bought an Oru folding kayak for my birthday - it was a little pricey but 100% worth it. It fits in the trunk of my hatchback sedan and it's easy to store in the house, too. I was a little concerned about floating in what is basically a huge USPS mail bin, but so far so good! I'm looking forward to some colder weather kayaking in the hopes that the crowds are kept away. Fun fact: Maryland is the only US state without any natural lakes.

We went on a few trips, one to a lake in Virginia, and to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. This was Cora's first time seeing the ocean and she jumped right in, fully clothed. A hurricane was brewing off shore so there were yellow (caution) flags up on most days. It was pretty stressful trying to keep 8 children from drowning but luckily our rental house also had a pool which was easier to supervise.

I'm realllly scraping the bottom of the barrel now, flower-wise. My July planting fizzled out due to extreme heat and hardly any rain. I still have 120 dahlia plants but it's been so dry they are not producing like I hoped. I have 8 more flower subscription pickups before I'm done for the season, and boy will I be glad to take a break. I've already decided to scale back next year. So often turning a hobby into a job takes some of the joy out of it, which has happened over the last 4.5 years. Next year I'm hoping to reclaim some gardening fun.

I'm not here to rain on anyone's fall parade, but fall is already nice. I don't need special flavors and decorations, hot books and cozy blankets. Nature is already beautiful enough. So let me propose, let's make winter the special season. After the end of year holidays, it's just dark and cold; Valentine's day is not going to cut it. I'm trying to think of ways to make January-March feel bearable. Maybe a special box of treats that is only opened then? A mission to try new restaurants or visit museums? If anyone has winter traditions, I'd love to hear them. 

Until next time... If you have a blog and are a human with a regular life, I am grateful for what you do. I may not always comment, but there aren't many real people on the internet anymore and I appreciate you!

I'm a Notebook Person

Are you a notebook person? Do you obsessively research different types of Japanese paper and buy new journals even though you certainly don't need another one? Do you invent reasons to start a new themed journal? If you answered yes to these questions, you'll likely enjoy this post.

I recently read this post by Carolyn Yoo which spoke to my notebook-loving heart. I have never heard of a techo kaigi ("notebook meeting") before but it seems like an excellent idea, particularly for those us of who refuse to limit ourselves to one notebook. I currently have six notebooks in use (not counting sketchbooks and art journals; there are four of those.) This is too many for me, and I do have a long-term plan for reducing them, but I also cannot abandon a journal without it being completed. Are you also an eldest child?

Sorry for all the Amazon links: I know it's not cool to support Amazon these days, but when it comes down it it, it's the cheapest notebook source, and we get free shipping through a shared family Prime account. When I'm ready to re-buy notebooks, I'll probably use JetPens instead.

Planning & Exercise Tracker: Random planner from Amazon

Over the years I have realized that I prefer undated planners. If I am on vacation, I likely won't fill out a spread for that week, and (see above) I hate having blank pages! This means they also will last longer than a year. I throw away planners when I'm done with them, so I'm not picky about when I start them.  I started this current planner on April 28. It is always open on my desk with work and personal appointments and tasks mixed together. I like having a week on one page, and I chose this particular planner because it has a section for to-do lists and a habit tracker. I use that and the monthly spreads to track my steps, workouts (with active minutes from my Fitbit), yoga, and walks. If I don't write these down, I will definitely forget my activity for the week.

"5-Year" Journal: Levenger 5-Year Journal

I started this 5-Year Journal in 2010. If you can do basic math, you'll know that I have had it for 15 years. Without fail, I complete a streak of several months, and then forget it exists for years. Some pages have 5 years filled out, others have none. I assume a sane person would simply say "not for me" and move on with their lives, but I CANNOT HAVE BLANK SPACES. So, it persists.

Reading Log: Stalogy A6 Grid, 1/2 Year

This was a case of coveting a notebook without having a specific plan for it. The Stalogy notebook pages are fairly thin, I assume kind of like Hobonichi paper, but I have never seen a Hobonichi in person. I enjoy the sensory experience of crinkly pages with slight ghosting from the other side, so I am a fan of this brand. I am using this one as a reading journal, where I list the author, title, dates started and finished, and then take bullet point notes as I read. It's not anything profound, but I hope it will help me remember books more clearly. I also don't put every single book in here, just ones I want to remember.

Memory Keeping/Travel Journal/Everything Else: Moleskine Cahier Large Dot Grid

This is my longest-lived form of journaling. I have had a notebook like this for over 20 years, containing notes, quotes, journaling, travels, and lots of paper glued in. While other notebooks will come and go, I think this style is for life. I have used different notebooks over the years, but I am now on my second Moleskine Cahier, because I like that it's only one signature and sewed together. I put so much paper into it that it gets quite thick, and notebooks with more pages can get too bulky and heavy.

New cahier on the bottom; completed journal on the top

Long-form Writing: Midori Notebook A5 plus Paper Cover

My scrapbook-type journals are some of my most valuable possessions and one day I'll pass them down to my kids. Sometimes I just want to write some drivel, though. This journal is long-form writing, some of it interesting, most of it super boring to read back. I write in this notebook once or twice a week, and I'm not quite sure what to do with it when I'm finished. Ritual burning? Censorship? The Midori paper is on the thicker side which I don't prefer, but it is super smooth.

Lists and Notes: 3-Pack Notebook from Amazon

Finally, I always have a notebook on my desk for notes during meetings, scribbles when I'm researching something, or to-do lists. I prefer spiral-bound notebooks for this because they stay open easily. Sometimes I rip pages out, and I have no intention of keeping these when they're done. I got this cheap 3-pack because I liked the flowers.

So tell me, how many notebooks are you using right now? What are your favorites?

Tulip Season

My fourth season of growing tulips for sale has come and gone. Spring is definitely the busiest time for me flower-wise, starting seeds, preparing soil, setting up support systems in the garden, weeding, and of course, harvesting tulips.

Every year I change what bulbs I order, and every year I get closer to the ideal mix. I am so tempted by the specialty tulips: doubles, fringes, and parrots. But, these are also the most fickle to grow, often blooming too short and small. The large singles, the Darwin hybrids, really are the best performers year to year. 

Most people don't realize that tulips are annuals when grown as cut flowers, meaning that new bulbs have to be purchased every year. I pull up the entire plant, bulb and all, when I harvest them. This gives me several more inches in stem length and allows me to dry store them in a refrigerator. After rinsing off the dirt, I wrap the whole flower, bulb and all, in paper and stick it in the fridge with no water. They last about 2 weeks like this, and when I need to sell them I just cut off the bulb, put them in water, and they rehydrate like a charm.

The annoying part about this is that in order for tulips to store well, they have to be harvested at an ideal stage, when the bud is closed and just starting to color up. When the weather gets hot and sunny and they blow open before being pulled up, they aren't ideal to sell. This means going out to pull up flowers as many at three times a day. I planted 500 bulbs this year, which is a very small amount in flower farming terms, but it's still a lot to deal with and usually more than fit in my flower fridge. Also adding to the stress this year was the fact that something is wrong with my fridge and it wouldn't hold a low temperature, also making a loud noise. I limped across the finish line but I suppose I'll have to deal with that somehow. Ugh.

I sold every usable flower this year, with any too-short or too-small flowers left for us to enjoy in the house.

I also did the flowers for a baby shower, which is my absolute favorite thing to do. I don't often get to make arrangements, because everything I have is used for bouquets. Also, for some reason people think that local flowers should be cheap, and after hearing that their request is going to cost hundreds of dollars instead of a Trader-Joe's-like bargain, they disappear. 

Next year is still up in the air. Nearly all tulip bulbs come from the Netherlands, which, you guessed it, is now subject to tariffs. So, super cool how SOMEONE failed to realize that tariffs will also impact small American businesses growing a product in America. Tulips are already my most expensive flower to grow, and are really a loss leader when you factor in the labor. Because I grow a small amount of tulips, I can wait a few more months before I make my order for the fall, so we'll see how things pan out.

Day in the Life: Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post. You all made excellent points on why blogging is important and why it should live on in our social media oriented landscape. In addition to embracing the anti-capitalist and creative side of blogging, I realized that this is the only medium in which we can see how people are spending their days. I don't even know what my friends do on a daily basis for the most part! Day in the life posts are so varied and fascinating. I've never written one of these posts before, but on this particular Tuesday I snapped photos along the way so I could show you all what I'm up to.

On Mondays and Tuesdays I typically go into the office (I'm supposed to go three days a week, so I also alternate Wednesdays and Thursdays). My husband takes care of getting the kids off to school on these two days since he is off from work, and I get them ready Wednesday through Friday.

7:00: Wake up. I know many of you are super early risers, so this probably seems late. But after many years of waking up before 6am pre-pandemic, I realized how much better I feel when I adhere to my natural wake time. The sun has already caught back up to the time change and it's light when I look outside. I take a shower every morning because it wakes me up and tames my short hair which is inevitably sticking straight up. It takes me about 35 minutes to shower, get dressed, dry my hair, and put on various face creams. I don't wear makeup or style my hair other than blow drying it. Then I pack my lunch and work bags and head out the door.

7:53-8:42: Drive to work. I listen to The Rose Code by Kate Quinn on audio. It takes me about 50 minutes to get to work in the morning. I hate commuting. I know some people don't like working from home, but I love it and would every day if I could. I would get back several hours per week and not waste money on gas that just gets burned up and adds to pollution. I park in the underground garage and feel empathy for all the federal workers who have shown up again this week down the street. I also feel empathy for myself because traffic is worse now.

8:45: I get (free!) coffee and eat breakfast at my desk. I check my email for a few minutes and then I have meetings all morning. I'm a director in the publications department at a science non-profit. Mostly what I do is go to meetings, planning and logistics, and answer random questions all day. 

11:45: There's a gym in the basement of my building so I head down to work out. I lift weights four days a week, and sometimes do cardio if I have time. I didn't have time today, so I just did leg day and then headed back upstairs, using the elevator. I could no longer walk up the stairs. I forgot to bring socks in my gym bag so I had to wear the wool socks I already had on, which were pretty toasty by the time I was finished.

12:30: I eat lunch (last night's leftover burrito bowl) at my desk and do more computer work. Then at 1:00 it's back to meetings.

2:00: I sit in the library for a few minutes to rest my eyes, because this is the only place in the building where you can get away from florescent lights.

All the employees use the library for this purpose as well, and completely ignore this sign.

2:10: There is a retirement party for a coworker going on in the break room. I hang out here for a bit and eat two delicious macarons.

2:45: I leave the office early today to run errands on my way home. My first stop is to pick up some medical records near the hospital and I'm like 85% sure I saw a body being wheeled out the rear entrance.

Next I stop at the local arts center to register the kids for summer camps and give away all my money. Processing fees have become insane and I would have had to pay $75 to register for camp online! Saving that was worth the extra effort to sign up in person.

4:30-5:30: I'm back home. I set up my computer again and work for another hour. My home office is so much better than the actual office. Natural light! Plants!

5:30: I go down to the basement to water my seedlings and set the trays outside to start hardening off. I'm going to leave them outside all night since it won't be below freezing, and they should be ready to plant out this weekend.

I also check on my tulips because I need to send my CSA subscribers an email by the end of the week with their pickup dates for the season. Predicting tulips is difficult because they are entirely dependent on the weather. Last year I had some on April first but I think we'll be a little behind due to the colder winter. I pick some daffodils to bring into the house. 

6:00: My husband made dinner, as he does every night. I really hit the jackpot with that one, didn't I? We have turkey meatballs, roasted carrots and potatoes, and salad. After dinner we both clean up the kitchen and I feed the cat.

7:00-10:15: I read Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl to the 7 year old, which is a weird and tiresome book. I get why it was never made into a movie, because it would be weird and tiresome. After she goes to bed I read some of The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Then I finish watching The Causeway, a movie that was fine, I guess? I also watch some random YouTube videos.

10:15-10:55: Bedtime - I change my clothes and get ready for bed, then I read for another 20 minutes or so laying in bed. I have read before falling asleep my whole life and it's so ingrained that I have to do it. I'm almost done with Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood. (Yep, I have read three different books today! That's typical for me.)

And that's a typical Monday or Tuesday. These two days are the easiest of the week for me because my husband is home and I can just leave when I need to in the morning and I don't have to worry about getting back in time to meet the school bus. The rest of the week requires more juggling, because if I do go into the office I need to be back home by a certain time. My husband works on Saturdays so I am on solo kid duty, and most of the chores are crammed into Sunday. Summer is just a train wreck to be honest so maybe I'll treat you to one of those days in the future.

Maintenance Phase

I titled this post "Maintenance Phase", which doesn't have anything to do with the podcast (although I am a fan.) It's become clear that this the life phase I am currently in. Keeping things moving - getting kids to school, getting myself to work, keeping the house clean and staying on top of chores - is the focus of my days. The weather is not helping, with freezing temperatures and windy days keeping us inside. We've had a few glimpses of Spring, but we're not quite there yet.

It's been awhile, so here are some photos from the past few months. You can still see leaves on the trees in many of these, which is a time I have already forgotten existed.

In a glorious moment of serendipity, I was able to see one of my all-time-favorite pieces of classical music, Bach's Brandenburg Concerto (no. 2), performed live. This venue isn't too far from me and I hope to see more performances there. But - this one started at 8:00. AT NIGHT. I'm basically the social media meme of a 40-something who can no longer leave their house after dark. I was out way past my bedtime so I guess I can only go to matinees from now on.

It was the snowiest winter in several years. I've heard the phrase "stick season", mostly used in New England, to describe the time before it snows when the world is brown. Well, in the mid-Atlantic that's just winter. It's dark, grey, and brown and depressing. Snow is always welcome, brightening up the landscape. Because of all the snow days, instead of school ending on a Friday this year, it now ends with a half day on Monday. I mean, come on. No one is going to go to that and it messes up all the camp schedules!

Flower season has now started with hundreds of seedlings being sewn and tended to. It's not long now before I start preparing the garden and planting out. My flower subscription sales have been much lower than normal this year, something I'm hearing from other flower sellers as well. Everything is expensive these days and I understand that fun purchases, like flowers, are the first to go. I also decided to take a 6-week break in the middle of the summer so that's also going to impact sales. Luckily I am not financially dependent on this business at all, but I know other growers are, so please support your local flower farm, even if it's just one bouquet during the season! (Buying locally is now more important than ever, no matter your location.)

I have been struggling with my "why" regarding this blog for awhile. Posting takes time and effort, and I'm already a regular journaler so I don't necessarily need to record my life in this way. If you are a blogger, I'd love to hear what keeps you going. Although I have had significant breaks, I have been blogging for twenty-one years. But, the state of the world is not great right now, and I like the idea of documenting the beauty that still exists.

In other news, the Women's Prize for Fiction longlist dropped this week! I've already read three books on the list (The Safekeep, All Fours, and The Ministry of Time), and plan to read the full longlist eventually. I started this week with Broken Seeds, the only book I don't have to wait in a lengthy hold line for. I look forward to discussing these with those of you who are also reading along this year.