Five-ish Things: The Unhurried Edition

I am loving my new mug. It’s especially relevant today as lately, most Mondays I work from home. Both of the girls are in school for a chunk of the day. I check in with the shop – this morning I was down there for about an hour –  but have some quiet space to get uninterrupted work done – mostly planning, money to-dos and putting books online. I take breaks here and there to change the laundry, to walk George, and today, to write this. As the shop has become busier and my staffing is still very minimal, it can be impossible to complete any given task, even really short ones, from start to finish without interruption. Which is great – we are busier! But these quiet Mondays are such a gift.

We spent the 4th of July weekend out at the lake house with my family. We switched cell phone carriers recently and I get absolutely no cell phone reception at the lake now which means I didn’t carry my phone around which means I hardly took any photos. It was hot, we ate well, Telfer made his famous ribs (two ways this year – one traditional, one with a spicy dry rub). It’s good to be with family. On a walk, Judah met a real, live fireman in a firetruck who gave him a little plastic red hat. He was so thrilled. Telfer also bought a paddle board for the lake house and all the kids had so much fun trying it out. I went out a couple of times and loved it too. The demand was high over the weekend but I am planning to go back soon and paddle for a much longer time and distance.

This last weekend was a good one. Chris came for dinner and read to the girls (on his iPAD). We may not have a working boat right now but that won’t stop us from eating crab at least once this summer. I made the Canal House crab louis with greens from our garden and eggs from our chickens. I also made this pecan galette from the cover of Bon Appetit this month. I switched out the blueberries with marionberries and raspberries. So lovely and the leftovers were just as good.

We took the girls to see Inside Out at the theater on Saturday afternoon. I loved it. It’s a rare movie that engages kids on one level but is so thoughtful and really, magical, for the adults in their lives.

Late Saturday afternoon it rained! This is Cate doing a rain dance for me. Summer rain feels like such a gift, especially this year, with the heat we have had and the drought-like conditions. Our garden is so happy. And I was so happy when I took the photo, work done for the day, puttering around in the kitchen.

We sell quite a few books, particularly our collectibles, online through two marketplaces. When the book sells, the marketplaces do a good job of hiding the identity of the individual bookstore that is actually providing the book. I could go on but trust me on this. So Nate helped me with putting our logo on an old-fashioned wooden stamp that I ink with an actual ink pad. It’s all very satisfying. Our books going out in the mail are now branded and in my humble opinion, look quite beautiful.

I am on a Penelope Fitzgerald kick lately. I read The Bookshop on vacation and finished The Blue Flower (on my blue sofa) last week. Both such different books, both so good. I am also having a great time with my literary pairings series on instagram. Anyone want to throw out an idea? Obvious candidate for tomorrow: To Kill a Mockingbird & Go Set a Watchman.