Blah. Good morning. How were your weekends? American readers, how was Thanksgiving? It was good to have a few extra days off work, wasn’t it? I was mostly able to turn the work brain off (mostly) but Sunday Scaries struck hard; I am really up against it this week. Work anxiety notwithstanding, we did have fun. Thanksgiving was low-key; between COVID and the lack of a dishwasher we were very quiet; just a prepared foods feast from Wegmans this year. I was sad, because my one consolation for not seeing my family this year was going to be cooking Thanksgiving dinner – one of my favorite meals to prepare. But without a dishwasher, we didn’t want to dirty all of those dishes. So I ended up just re-heating things, mostly. Well, it still tasted good.

Other than Thanksgiving, we got out for a few hikes – on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Two visits to Riverbend Park and one to Lake Burke. The Lake Burke hike was super stressful; the kids were right on the edge with their behavior, the trails were crowded, and hardly anyone was wearing masks. We were edgy the whole time. The rest of the weekend was chill. I folded laundry and cleaned the dining room, read a lot, and got in a couple of good runs in the neighborhood.

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Reading. It was a hell of a week in books! I guess this is what I do when I have a long weekend off work and no travel plans. I finished A Promised Land midweek (at 701 pages of dense recent Presidential history, it was a time commitment), then blew through Persuasion, Piranesi, and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day in one day each. I asked Nugget if he thought I should move on to Christmas books or squeeze in one more book before I hit the holiday shelf, and he voted Christmas, so I pulled out The Folio Book of Christmas Crime Stories to open the season’s readings. Here’s to a little murder for Christmas!

Watching. Lots of good stuff – the Macy’s Day Parade on Thanksgiving Day, of course! Then the first half of my favorite holiday movie – Miracle on 34th Street (the original version, not the remake!) – before the kids fell asleep. As for the rest of the week, it was the usual hodgepodge: some Rick Steves’ Europe, the season finale of The Great British Bake-Off, and the latest Mandalorian. I think we’re going to watch the holiday special Bake-Off episodes next!

Listening. More of the same – lots of podcasts. Highlights were a couple of back episodes of Shedunnit and a Mayflower-themed episode of You’re Dead to Me, a hilarious history podcast. Seemed appropriate for Thanksgiving week!

Making. Well… work product, mostly. It was one of those weeks, and it’s going to be another of those weeks ahead. There was some re-heating, so I guess that counts? I did baste the Field Roast a few times, so that’s something. And I made some maple-roasted squash and root veggies, the one Thanksgiving dish I actually prepared rather than just re-heating.

Moving. The usual! Hike, run, hike, run. A virtual turkey trot in the neighborhood on Thanksgiving Day, a four-miler on Sunday, and several miles on the local trails. Can’t beat it! This week, if I have time, I want to fold some strength training back into the routine; I’ve let that slip recently as the season has gotten busy.

Blogging. Bookish week coming atcha! I have my November reading round-up on Wednesday, of course, and on Friday I’m sharing what’s on deck for holiday reading this year. Check in with me then!

Loving. I’m not sure what it is, but lately I’ve been seeing bluebirds everywhere. From a mass of them in the neighborhood park last weekend, to one in the tree as I ran my turkey trot, to this beauty at Riverbend Park on Friday – it’s almost like they’re a message. Bluebirds are traditionally an omen of happiness, and seeing one is supposed to bode good luck ahead, so I’m hoping that all these bluebirds mean something. I’d never seen one in my life before this summer – I’d always wanted to – and lately it seems I see them everywhere I go.

Asking. What are you reading this week?