It has been hard to “get back into reality” even with just a few days away. But going anywhere in these Pandemic Times is a challenge, right? Our trip to Erie was no exception, we both worried about staying *any* place…even with the “enhanced cleaning” Airbnb suggests… So we brought pillows from home, and I “cleaned” the clean house when we arrived. I also got out all the dishes we might use over the weekend and washed them all before we used anything. Silly? Probably, but it allayed the fears a little. I also worried for the cleaning people who would come to clean after we left, so we cleaned the house again before we left on Sunday. The one bonus about going to an Airbnb is that there are no “tchotchke’s” on every flat surface, so it was not such a onerous task! Ha!
Knitting though, took an absolute back seat! I knit a bit in the car going to Erie and coming home but outside of that I did not pick up my knitting once so I don’t have much progress to show for the week! I was going to start a pair of socks for Winston, but I have yet to cast them on and there has been zero sleeve knitting either. My hope is today that I will find some knitting time. Wish me luck!
However, I do have a completed Avery 2.0 Vest… and gosh, it is just so stinking cute! I can hardly wait to see Win in it!
The reading this week included two powerful but unbelievably different books! Each excellent in their own way. The first will not be for everyone, and that is fine. But Hamnet. Yeah… get this book and read it. This book is exactly what your autumn reading list needs!
Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the US by Lenny Duncan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have read several faith-style books this year about how to be a better person/ally, but this is the first book I have read that addresses the “elephant in the room” in a frank, and at times, brutally honest way. Duncan’s perspective might be uncomfortable, but it is so necessary.
The church is political. Feeding the homeless is radical. Marriage is radical when it’s offered to everyone and blessed by clergy. God’s justice is radical. Centering the oppressed is radical. Our task is not so much to reject politicism as it is to reject evil. The message of Jesus is radical and political.
This book will not be for everyone, but if you are looking for someone to tell you hard truths, this is the book for you!
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have read rave reviews of this book, and every one of them is absolutely right… this is a phenomenal book! The writing is just so damned excellent! The story is so incredibly engaging! This was a book that was easy to lose myself in and each chapter was better than the one before! The ending though, oh my gosh, wow! This is a book you cannot read without a tissue box near by…trust me on this!
Is this the best book I have read all year? While I absolutely loved this book, it did not unseat Apeirogon for me, but it is a very close second!
I urge you to get this book today and start reading!
On a more urgent note, I got an email from Allegheny County letting me know my ballot is on its way! But, are you registered to vote? Are all your friends and family registered to vote? Have you made your plan to vote? I have! I will be filling out my ballot and hand delivering it to a drop off location! We need to vote like our lives depend on it because, sadly, I think they do! And the clock is ticking, we are just 41 days away!!
That is all I have for this week, as always if you wrote a post to share, please leave your link below.
That vest is perfect. I love it!! And I don’t blame you for cleaning and recleaning at the place you rented. Whatever makes it more comfortable is worthwhile and YOU GOT AWAY FROM HOME FOR A BIT! yay!
I also read Hamnet last week and loved it!
Winston’s vest is wonderful and will be perfect for fall and winter. I wish you could visit and hug him in person, but for now, a virtual knitting hug will have to do. I don’t think your cleaning and washing was at all silly; you are just doing the best you can to prevent illness and allay fears. I’m glad you enjoyed Hamnet and I am going to look for Dear Church. Hard truths are hard but necessary!
The vest is just darling Kat! It turned out so nicely. Glad you could get away for a little bit and the extra cleaning sounds good to me. better safe…
Every time I read a Hamnet review I wonder if I should just BUY the book instead of waiting in the queue! It’s a long one, that’s for sure. I didn’t realize—guess I had made Other assumptions—that the ELCA is the Whitest church in America. Dear Church piques my curiosity, for sure. And that vest! What a perfect finish, in time for the Fall Equinox.
Winston’s vest is SO. CUTE. It is almost as good as a hug–it is a knitting hug. 🙂 Soon you will see him in person. (Fingers crossed…)
So glad you were able to escape Pittsburgh for a bit. It completely makes sense to me for cleaning as you arrived and cleaning again when you left. Sometimes, you just gotta do you.
I love the vest!! I’m sure you will get something cast on soon; it’s the perfect time of year for new projects.
I love W’s vest!!! I’m glad you were able to get away and rest at a peaceful place. It’s a balancing act of what risks we take. I’m glad you had a nice time.
That vest is so precious! He’s going to be a very stylish little guy!
I’m currently number 52 on the wait list for Hamnet and very much looking forward to reading it!
Haha. I enjoy cleaning my own Airbnb more than my house because of the lack of tchotchkes! Still, it always takes a long time.
That vest is super cute!!
That vest is just the best! I’m in the Hamnet queue out there too but am interested in Memorial Drive too!
The little vest is darling. I’m with you, extra cleaning never hurt anything and it might have helped. And taking your own pillows is very smart – I never would have thought of it. I am wishing you some knitting time this week.
The vest is adorable! And that’s some impressive cleaning you did! When we rented the house on Cape Cod the owners assured is they had cleaned and sanitized before we arrived and I trusted that they had. We did sanitize door knobs etc when we left so that they would be able to enter safely. I loved Hamnet, and I recommend it to anyone who asks!
What a great idea to bring your own pillows! My acupuncturist also recommended My Church and it’s now on my TBR list. Take care!
I’d run across Hamnet a while back and it somehow fell off my radar – glad to get it back. Win’s little sweater is indeed a WIN…looking forward to seeing pics of it on him, no doubt soon!
Glad you had a good trip even if you did do a lot of cleaning.
Cheers~
I just left a comment on Vicki’s blog “who needs reading when your head and heart are full of other things” … and I’m gonna say the same to you about knitting! (also, I can’t wait to read Hamnet!)
I loved Hamnet so hard! It really stuck with me after I finished too.
What a sweet little vest, Kat! So tiny . . .
And Hamnet is just incredible.
Your vest is gorgeous. I do hope it fits for a while. I have read so much about Hamnet recently I think it is a book I need to be reading. I love Maggie O’Farrell. I am off to find out about your favourite read….