Currently: October 8, 2017

Location:

This isn't a regular category for me, but this isn't a regular week. I'm typing this edition of Currently from my parents' kitchen.

Yesterday, my adorable travel companion and I got up in the wee hours of the morning and hopped on a plane. After a very long day and two connections, we were met at the airport by Nana and Papa, who were very glad to finally see him again (and maybe a little okay that I came too).

So I'm hanging out in Idaho for the next few days. It's nice to be with family and to see some of my friends, but it's hard being out here without Gary. He wasn't able to come and we're missing him. So...though vacation is nice and we like being with everyone here, it will still be good to go home on Thursday.

Weather: 

It was a bit cooler today than it has been at home the last few days, but that's okay. We brought jackets and we're all set. It looks like it will be crisp, fall weather for our entire stay. Harvest season around here is in it's decline and all of the fields are neatly harvested. It's a reminder of all the things I love about fall.

Watching:

We sat down as a family a few nights ago and watched The Secret Life of Pets. It was a pretty cute show. I even found myself laughing out loud once in a while. Not bad. 

Reading:

I'm about midway through The Lauras by Sara Taylor. It's an interesting read. Taylor has a way with words and her ability to provide fantastic description is just simply amazing. Her writing is rich and smooth and immersing yourself in the story becomes quite easy. But the narrative in this is extremely emotionally gripping and I have, more than once, found myself somewhat aching for the characters. I'm interested to see how I will feel when I've finished it. I will say that I already enjoy the narrative of this one much more than I did her The Shore which felt disjointed and choppy. This flows so well and it has a clear path. I very much enjoy that. Lurching story lines make me feel far too uneasy.

Learning:

While I am incredibly lucky that my little traveling companion did fantastically on the trip here, I have discovered that it is ridiculously exhausting to travel with a child by yourself. We had an early start and between that and the two connections, the day just felt unendingly draining.

I have also learned that there may be few things worse than changing your child in an airplane bathroom. Those places feel plenty small enough when you're merely trying to situate yourself without falling over or bumping an elbow. When you're trying to wrestle and infant who wants to roll away from you on a surface that is just not long enough to contain his whole body and the entire room is also bouncing around, it's kind of like being in one of those boxes where money flies up at you while you wildly try to grab it. It's claustrophobic, chaotic, and you just hope you walk out of there with some of your dignity, most of your sanity, and maybe a successful minute and a half's worth of work. It is the one thing I am very much not looking forward to on the way home.

Making:

I am in "making" hibernation mode for a bit. I've more or less completed the garden. I have some pumpkin and squash remaining to tend to along with the carrots that I am hoping will get their act together.

This past week, I froze up an additional four bags of Brussels sprouts and four bags of kohlrabi. I also made some applesauce (both spiced and plain) and tried my hand at apple scrap jelly. 

The jelly itself turned out fantastic and tastes something akin to a honey, but the process was a bit of a mishap. I managed to turn away from the stove at a very inopportune moment and lost what had to have been at least a half pint of jelly to overboil. It was a very sticky and long process to clean my poor stove.

Thinking/Feeling:

I am torn between feeling homesick and comfortable. Being at my parents' house is always a nice feeling. I love my family and I'm really glad when I get to spend time with them. Being so far away is difficult. Especially since everyone else is here. 

But I do miss the farm. And I really miss Gary. This is the first time our little family has been separated. It's not easy. It's not something I care to repeat very often.

Wanting/Needing:

I have been contemplating it for a while, but this trip has reinforced the fact that I really need to get myself a booklight. Reading before bed, I always feel guilty keeping the bedside lamp on when Gary has to work the next morning. With traveling, I've decided it's an absolute necessity. So...I think that will go on my purchase list when I get back.

Loving:

While I don't have a photo to share just yet, I am loving the shortness of the haircut I got today. I have a stylist who I went to high school with and she has been doing my hair for years. She's the best and I refuse to have anyone else cut or color my hair. So anytime I'm in town I try to make an appointment with her. Today she gave me a nice, short a-line with some two tone color. Dark underneath and highlighted. It looks like good, natural color while giving me some dimension and should grow out without giving me a stripe...which is important since I won't be able to see her again until we get back around Christmas time.

Planning:

Right now, my most important immediate plans concern tacos. Really. I'm meeting up with some friends for Taco Tuesday at one of the most fabulous places ever. It's a small restaurant in my hometown. Ah...Imelda's. I always have to eat there when I come home. Homemade tortillas and the best barbacoa around. It's delightful. I'm salivating just thinking about it. Outside of being able to spend time with my family and friends, it's always one of the highlights of my trip.

In the slightly longer run, I'm planning on taking part in the Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon when I return to Minnesota. This year is the 10th anniversary. It's always a great time and I'm really glad that I should get to participate some this year. I'll have more info about it next week.

What about you? What does your "Currently" look like?