Midwestern comfort

I just baked my first banana bread in my new home…so nice to have a brand new, full-size stove and lots of counter space, though I managed to bake well enough in my tiny kitchen in Lancaster. I’m having a glorious weekend and with temperatures only in the 70s today, I’m definitely dreaming of autumn…soon I’ll be back to starting each day with a hot cup of tea—I shivered a few times yesterday with all my windows open and almost reached for the chenille throw on the back of my chair. I am feeling very dreamy, thanks in part to the weather but also the documentaries I’ve been watching and the book I’m reading. I absolutely love Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte and almost don’t want to finish it. Then yesterday someone on Facebook posted about a PBS documentary on Ursula K. Le Guin so I watched that and while the banana bread was in the oven just now, I watched Secrets of the Dead—one of my favorite PBS shows—because I saw an ad on Facebook about an episode on the “real” King Arthur. Watched the latest episode of Lovecraft Country last night and finally figured out why the blond guy looks so familiar—he’s Ube, son of Ragnar, from another favorite show Vikings! If it isn’t obvious at this point, I watch a lot of TV. And that means I read less than I used to, which is a shame. But I’m still studying storytelling when I’m watching a series or film; I didn’t get cable this time around but I subscribe to a whole lot of channels (PBS Passport, Netflix, Acorn, Prime, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+) so I’m probably paying just as much each month. After yesterday’s documentary, I finished one poem and started another before I felt myself starting to drowse; I hadn’t sleep well and woke around 4am again this morning. But I still got changed and walked over to the community garden where I was the only volunteer so Katharine and I had a great talk about politics and purpose while she showed me how to plant lettuce. I came home, took a nap, made some popcorn for supper, watched TV, and then finished another poem. Baking, gardening, dreaming, writing…I realize how blessed I am to be living this sort of life, though it likely seems dull to some. Today I think I’ll try to finish another poem before I head downtown in search of the farmers market. Then maybe I’ll walk home via the lake and dream a bit more before getting back to work. It’s a long weekend, which doesn’t mean much to me generally, but it’s important to recognize our own labor and the labor of others, especially those activists who fought for better working conditions over the years. So many people are unemlpoyed right now because of the pandemic and others are hustling just to make ends meet. Katharine and I talked about universal basic income yesterday and how much MORE would be possible in our society if we freed people to pursue what they love. We’d have more innovation and creativity and I think more people would serve others if they knew their basic needs were taken care of…I haven’t read much Le Guin but will find the library and see if I can get some of her books since I now know how committed she was to the dream of a just society. This writer isn’t always hopeful but so many things seem possible right now—in my mind, in my life, in our world. Time to get to work…