Oh boy. It has been a very hard week. A week that took an already dismal month and ramped it up by about 1000% and while I am thankful that Jacob Blake survived, I am so angry that there was an incident which put that in question. And, I can’t even be sane about 17 year olds with assault weapons walking away unscathed. So I spent lots of time this week listening. Listening to the pain. The hurt. The eloquence. The raw emotion.
And then a cascade of events began to happen, starting with the Milwaukee Bucks! And I say GO BUCKS (except, it’s not a boycott… they are striking, boycotting is what the viewer would do, but okay) (and Hurrah to the NBA for standing with the Bucks!) Rapidly many other sports players followed suit – MLB and MLS, WNBA, and yes…even a tennis player… I say BRAVO!! Perhaps you are not a sports fan, but my hope is that this will finally be the tipping point for monumental change.
The Milwaukee Bucks have decided to boycott Game 5, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 26, 2020
But perhaps the best moment came last night at a baseball game that wasn’t. Oh but that leadership…
With zero leadership in the White House, these men are speaking with their actions! Well done, gentlemen, well done. This is leadership. https://t.co/HTO10hvgsk
— askatknits (@askatknits) August 28, 2020
And that beautiful note ushers in the rest of the good things this week:
This past Tuesday, Ali Smith’s Summer dropped and I am number eight on the library wait list. I can’t wait, especially after reading this excellent review! I have loved this brilliant series, and if you were waiting for them all to be available… your wait is over. Start with Autumn and move through the seasons. They are just brilliantly written and eerily timely!
The September issue of Vanity Fair is a special project, called The Great Fire and it has grabbed my attention. The guest editor is Ta-Nehisi Coates, and it is a must-read issue. His editor’s letter is powerful, stirring, and so painfully true: “And so evil does its business in the shadows, ever-fearing not the heat of the Great Fire but the light. To clearly see what this country has done, what it is still doing, to construct itself is too much for any human to take. So it was with the slave narrative. So it is with the cell phone.” I broke down and bought a subscription this week and the reading that I have done thus far is incredible!
And because we all could use something to escape…coming September 23rd to Netflix… Enola Holmes! I.can’t.wait! (Yes, it is starring Eleven from Stranger Things!)
For all the Vera fans out there, Ann Cleeves shared that there will be a season 11 of Vera! Wahoo!
**A warning, this link goes to a Ravelry project page** In my never ending Ranunculus love… this one here has me rethinking the idea that I have finished Ranunculus knitting! Oh my, I love her sleeves! Yep, a third Ranunculus is being considered!
And, finally!! Isabell Kraemer has released a pattern that I have been oogling on Instagram! (Yes, I purchased it!)
Ooh la la, indeed! Discount until tomorrow, so hurry!
And that, my friends, is a wrap for this week! See you all back here on Monday!
You’ve found lots of good things this Friday! I have hopes that where the NBA goes, other sports will follow, and hopefully this will influence and change people’s minds. I am not a sports fan but if they can use their enormous popularity for change, then I will be right there cheering along. After the speech last night we are going to need all the help we can get.
this week was indeed a hard week. I had to scale back news reading… Anyways here’s hoping next week has glimmers of hope!!
Oh, what a lovely Friday post! I needed every single one of those things. Thank you. Have a great weekend, Kat!
Kat, this moved me. Like a baseball lodged in my throat:
“With zero leadership in the White House, these men are speaking with their actions! Well done, gentlemen, well done. This is leadership.” xo, C.
(And ditto to Septmber’s VF. I’m masking up to go to the bookstore Saturday to get a paper copy! I think my eyeballs are getting screened out.)
What a powerful and thoughtful post.
What a week indeed. I do find hope in these highly paid professional athletes are making a statement. May next week be better.
I now have zero news input except from what I read in blogs. I am so sorry to hear that your country has had another week of terrible events, I do hope that the election in November will enable all the things that are behind these events to be worked on and talked about without the fear that seems to be pervading everything right now.
Given the high importance that this country seems to put on sports, maybe a strike by athletes will wake some of this country’s residents the *&%$ up. 66 more days until Election Day!
Thank you for the Ali Smith guidance — I’ve been wanting to read her books but didn’t know where to start!
This was the post I needed right now! I’m amazed by how the sports world is banding together. They have such an audience right now — I’m so happy to see them feel their power and take a stand! (or a knee!)
I also love the new Ooh La La pattern – I can’t wait to see yours!!
I LOVED Autumn, but found Winter to be a bit odd and didn’t get very far. I should try again!
Enjoy your Sunday, Kat 🙂
Playing a bit of blog-reading catchup and enjoying it very much – thank you! I am now FOUR books away from a 2-card coverall … and yesterday I finished the first book since early April that wasn’t for any square at all. Reading has been a life-saver! My sister and I started talking about our fall reading plans … I think it’s going to be another great season of books! (p.s. I resisted Isabel’s latest, but I bound off Topolino this morning … stay tuned for an actual FO!)
It was SUCH a HARD WEEK. I am so hoping this one is (at least a little) better.
XO