My adventures in baking continue! I'm having so much fun experimenting, but I'm trying to give away as many of my creations as I can to friends & neighbors because my poor bod cannot eat everything I create...

Here are a few of the things I've been making lately, some of them more successfully than others - but all of them worth a try, if you're looking for a good dessert to make at home. I've instituted here the same sort of star rating system (out of five) that I use for my book reviews. Hope it's helpful.

A (Birthday!) Week of Staycation Plans

I took the week of my birthday off of work this year because... why not? It's not like we're going on any actual vacations this year, so I might as well take a week off for a staycation. I've had two weeks of furlough so far this summer, & each was incredibly relaxing, which inspired this plan - but it'll be much less stressful to have a paid week off.

That said, because there's not exactly much to do right now, I've been racking my brain to try to come up with some staycation plans & activities. Here's what I've come up with so far.

What I've Read Since the Pandemic Began

You'd think that a pandemic would be the perfect time to hunker down & do nothing but read books. Lots & lots & lots of books.

But here I am, nearly five months into the pandemic, & I have read... 11 books. Total. In sum. I used to read 11 books in a month, man.

And look, I know that 11 books in five months is still plenty. And I've been up to plenty of other things that aren't reading - cooking, for starters, & a variety of other newfound hobbies, atop trying to, like, keep sane. It's a weird world out there, & things have changed, including productivity levels. And my reading output.

Adventures in Beach-Combing on Lake Erie

My mom & I started beach-combing entirely by accident. We were walking together along the beach in Port Clinton when she asked, "Have you ever found beach glass?" 

"No," I told her, "but apparently there's a ton of it in Lake Erie."

I knew from reading The Dainty Squid & just doing some general research into beach-combing that Lake Erie is the source of a veritable bounty of beach glass, more so than the other Great Lakes. It's shallower & therefore rockier, which means the waves tumble & smooth the glass within - glass that comes from the lake's 2,000+ shipwrecks (yes, shipwrecks!) as well as from litter from boaters, Put-In-Bay partiers, etc. 

Lots of beer bottles turned into treasure! 

Our Socially Distanced Getaways to Lake Erie

At the beginning of the summer, my mom learned that we would have occasional summer access to a friend's lake house – a small but sweet little spot on the water in Port Clinton, OH, about an hour & 15 minutes west of Cleveland. With no real travel on the horizon – like, for the foreseeable forever – we feel really, really fortunate to be able to escape to this cozy cottage every now & then.

Is there anything more relaxing than this view?

What We're Eating: Another Quarantine Cooking Roundup

Heyyyyy, I'm still makin' food over here! Although restaurants have largely reopened, we're still basically not comfortable going anywhere unless it's outdoors and hella-distanced, so it's either homemade or delivery for us.

Here's a little recap of what I've been making lately, with links to recipes where applicable. Got any recommendations for me? I'm hoping to try making some more new-to-me stuff... but here's what we've been up to for now.

Someone Sent Me on a Neighborhood Safari

Y'all ready for one of the most delightful stories of my quarantine? Here we go.

The other day, I was walking to Cafe Social Latinoamericano, one of my favorite new local spots, while talking to my mom on the phone. It was mad hot outside, so I stopped under a shady tree while we wrapped up our conversation. 

At some point, I looked up... & found a little surprise!

No Regrets: 11 Good Quarantine Purchases I've Made (So Far)

I'm not spending much money these days, & that's a good thing. I'm not really going anywhere or doing anything, so what would I be spending money on, anyway? I'm buying groceries & the occasion new pair of athleisure gear to suit my never-wearing-pants-with-a-waistband-again lifestyle, but we're not really even ordering takeout, for the most part. 

My wallet thanks me, especially because I have a few weeks of furlough throughout the summer – but I have made a few extremely worthwhile purchases during this time of otherwise-very-few purchases. Inspired by a similar post from Simone of Skinny Dip, here are my best quarantine purchases.

I Have Hobbies Now

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, if you'd asked me what my hobbies were, I would've said reading & writing; I would've said that I don't have any other hobbies. But you know what I haven't done much of of under quarantine? Reading or writing. 

I've read just five books since this began, but four were reread on audiobook, which doesn't seem to count? My lack of writing speaks for itself, too, evidenced by the minimal posts seen here as of late.

Instead, I've been... you know, trying other stuff. I've been working a lot, & while I feel extremely fortunate to be employed, I've been working so much that I don't want to spend any of my free time in front of a screen if I don't have to.

Here's what I've been up to instead.

UPDATED: 22+ Links to Help You Learn About and Act for Racial Justice

Let's get a few things straight, right up front: The first is that you can find much better & much more comprehensive lists of "how to act for racial justice" & "resources for antiracism" elsewhere (& I have linked to some of them below). This is not meant to be a comprehensive list, nor an overall how-to in antiracism/racial justice work.

Because, to be clear, I am not an expert in anti-racism/racial justice work. I am not trained in racial diversity, equity, & inclusion (REDI) principles. I aspire to be both an ally & an activist, but neither of those labels are the sort you can give to yourself; you have to work for them, continually & indefinitely. 

I am nobody. I am a white person who is trying. But I am also a white person with a medium-sized audience that includes many other white people, & I feel that with that comes a responsibility to help others to join me in learning, acting, & continuing to educate both ourselves & others around us.