What I’m Reading this Month

…Plus Other Things I’m Doing

It has almost been 2 months of quarantine now. A much-needed mental break surfaced when our local farmers’ market got permission to start up as usual with restrictions. Only essential businesses were allowed, and thankfully SomeTyme Place was deemed essential- phew! No one is having an easy time of it right now, and my heart feels for everyone. People have shared with me their mental fatigue, heaviness, anxiety, and fear. A couple of weeks ago I began to struggle with a depressing heaviness myself. The mental struggle of quarantine is very real no matter what your circumstances. My spirits got a big lift seeing people again at the market! Any people- lol! Can I just say that having people in our lives is essential and healthy to our mental well-being? Now with this renewed energy I want to share what I am reading this month plus other things I’m doing.

With the market opening back up and the increased demand for soap I am busy making more. Summer is when I begin to highlight SomeTyme Place’s ocean-themed products which I adore! Oregon has lots of lovely places to see, but in particular I love our coast and the soap below is Oregon coast inspired. This soap smells like just the ocean and customers love it! The salty notes really shine through and will make you think you are at the beach which is the first place I want to go. Below is a fresh batch of Oregon Coast soap that is heading to the curing rack. I scalloped the top of the soap to resemble waves and on each wave is coarse sea salt. Love this one!!!!

Summer is coming and our state is starting the slow process of reopening on the 15th. Therefore, I want to spruce up the yard which includes painting this table a bright white. Someone gave it to us a couple of years ago, and I let it be for the time; however, this is going to be the week it finally gets painted! Of course, the chairs will get a matching coat as well. It will look nice with our Americana/Coastal decor that goes out on the patio for the summer. You can see our kitty in the background. We call her Kitty- for real. She has a name, Lychee, but it never stuck, so Kitty she is! And she loves the river!

Other things I am going to do? Start prepping the house to put on the market. I can already hear the comments from friends and family- What???? Lol! My husband and I have come to the realization that as much as we love our riverside home, we need to change our circumstances. Life has gone a different direction then anticipated and needs have changed. It happens. We have talked about remodeling which may still happen, but we are going to try selling first. Of course, this means a whole lot of work to prep the house. Furthermore, there is no guarantee of when it will sell, so I am not holding my breath and continuing as normal. Now on to the books.

As far as books go, today’s post is a departure from my usual “read and talk about it” books. This time I want to share what I’m reading this month before I read it. And if you decide to read one of the books I have selected I would love to hear about it in the comments!

What I’m Reading this month

When I pick books, I make a point to rotate genres. This is to avoid getting into a rut which I tend to do, but it also doesn’t challenge the mind. Exercising the mind is critical. Our brains are muscles that need to be kept in shape, so yes, read a large variety of things!

The Bright Hour: A Memoir of Living and Dying by Nina Riggs. I have been hearing a lot about this book which is the memoirs of a young mother who learns she is dying of cancer. Nina is a poet like her great, great, great grandfather, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and she writes about how to live when you know you are dying. I am fully expecting this to be very moving and thought-provoking on the deepest level. I probably will keep some Kleenex nearby too.

Why We Can’t Sleep: Women’s New Midlife Crisis. If you feel like you are hearing a lot about sleep health lately then get ready for more. Sleep is a hot topic in the mental health and well-being world. And the whole world is deprived of it right now. However, this book is more than about sleep; instead, it dives into the much-ignored mental well-being of Gen Xers, of which I am smack in the middle of and the many social stresses we currently face. Gen Xers are known as the forgotten middle child between the much talked about Baby Boomers and Millennials, so I am eager to finally see some attention on this subject.

The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate. This fictional story line intrigued me as 3 newly freed slaves begin the search for friends and family in the aftermath of the Civil War. New York bestselling author brings us this story through the eyes of a modern-day teacher who learns of their past. The author wrote this story based on real advertisements by former slaves looking for family and friends.

Lastly, I would love to hear your comments below if you’ve read today’s books. Have an awesome week!