Buried
One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.
I found this short story, Buried by Jeffery Deaver, free from a subscription I have. It was read by JD Jackson.
“Fitz” Fitzgerald is getting older. He can’t get used to new digital media, he doesn’t like it, and he’s almost ready to retire. But when the Grave Digger, the vile kidnapper, returns, Fitz is pulled in for one more story.
Jeffery Deaver is best known for the bone collector books which were adapted to a film with Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington. I didn’t know that when I started this Audio Book. I picked it up only bc it seemed interesting. And it was free. And it was short. Audio books can be hard to keep my attention and this book definitely suffered bc I didn’t just sit and listen to it all in one go. This book basically has two halves, and two lead characters. The first half, where our first main character is exploring his own obsoletion, and where he is inspired to make a difference one last time, and also where he is the detective in the story, was really interesting to me. The second half was like a separate book, flipping everything from the first part of the story. It was an interesting idea, and I think Deaver carried it out well. But the major break really took me out of the flow of the story. It didn’t help that I also somehow unknowingly also took a break from listening right at that point and was completely confused when I returned to the book. In the end the mystery didn’t really go where I was hoping and the breaking apart of the narrative really added to my disappointment. Overall, I would recommend this short story if you like books about writers or journalists, thrillers, or multi perspective mysteries.
Have you read any any of Jeffery Deaver’s books?
This book is featured in my Dec Wrap Up.
Mad Cat Capsule | Winter 2021 (Jan, Feb, Mar)
One reason for making a Capsule Wardrobe is to make getting dressed simple. Having a set capsule allows you to easily get dressed, easily have each outfit reflect your style, and take the doubt and confusion or concern out of getting dressed so that we don’t suffer from decision fatigue, over buying, and negative body images.
Ideally, everything in your capsule, no matter the season, goes together for the most part. Every piece is something that you like and fits you well, and that you feel good in. A Capsule should be curated and therefore thought out before buying, cutting down on over-buying. If you are interested in sustainability, many of your pieces will be slow fashion. In my opinion, even if you are not interested in sustainability most of your capsule will be slow fashion as well, bc I believe that that is what makes up the best capsule. Clothing that you have had a long time and love, staples that are well made, thrifted items (in order to try out new trends without spending too much money), are all items that should be your capsule and these are all slow fashion.
Things to avoid in your capsule are cheap fast fashion. Not only are these mostly made by slave labor with deplorable conditions (which we do not want to support and also do not want to let that energy into our lives), but they are made with only easy money and changing trends in mind. These clothes don’t fit well, don’t last, aren’t made of quality fabrics, get stretched or misshapen or simply fall apart. Not to mention a drain on our environmental resources, human resources, and our mental health. We should also avoid the clothes we love, but do not fit us, or make us feel good. Keep tee clothes somewhere and try them on periodically but don’t wear them if you they don’t serve you at this time.
For my Capsule this Winter, I’m thinking about all these things, but I’m also striving to push myself when getting dressed. Now that I will be going to work less, I could and have easily fallen into the trap of never getting dressed. Staying in PJs all day is very enticing. But this quarter, I want to make sure that my capsule is serving me and making my life easier, but also inspiring me to get dressed!
One of the great things about a capsule wardrobe, especially a slow fashion based one, is that you can play with it! It has all clothes you love, that you know work, so you can add a few pieces to try, or bunch some together that you normally wouldn’t. Do you usually wear all dresses, but have a pair of pants in each quarter? why not try all the pants together? If you don’t usually count athleisure in your capsule, but find that’s all your wearing, why not make a capsule of those clothes and see how you like wearing them in different environments? Have a collection of silk pajamas you just don’t want to take off these days, try making them outerwear!
Personally, I was in a rut of not getting dressed, so the first thing I want to do with this capsule is use it every day. It’s even one of my 2021 quarterly goals. Next, I want to wear things that usually get neglected in my capsule, especially in winter. Dresses, flowey pants, and specifically skirts are a priority for the next few months. Making sure I wear them and making them winterized is the challenge.
4 tanks - brown (10+ years), blue and white (above, 10+ years,) black strappy (15+ years). white lace (5+ years)
3 vests - this is an unusual category for me, but I want to wear my vests! - lace (5+ years), orange (handmade, thrifted, vintage?), blue wool cut out (15+)
5 T shirts - Forgotten Boardwalk (local biz), parthanon (3+ years), vermillion (thrifted), grey AA (ethical, sustainable, 10+ years), Sounds (gifted).
5 short sleeved shirts - grey wool sweater (vintage, thrifted), brown silk (vintage, thrifted), emily pleated (hand me down), black and white crop (10+ years), brown floral (vintage, thrifted).
8 long sleeved shirts - grey silk button down (vintage, thrifted), snake print turtle neck (vintage, thrifted), grey mockneck (vintage, thrifted), white button down (15+ years), grey scoop neck henley thermal (10+), blue tie dye sweatshirt (thrifted, perhaps my newest piece), AA grey thermal henley (15+), brown extra long thermal (18+), leopard turtleneck (vintage, thrifted), grey thermal (hand me down, 5+).
9 sweaters - grey cardi (hand me down, vintage), anchor (thrifted), grey turtle neck (thrifted), black and white (hand made, thrifted), vermillion cardi (10+), cream mockneck (thrifted), confetti (thrifted), brown cardi (vintage, thrifted).
1 jacket - leopard silk (vintage, thrifted).
3 dresses - this isn’t too many, but my plan is to wear them more often that in a usual capsule - white eyelet (hand made, vintage, thrifted), black sweater (5+ years), black and white rabbit (5+ years).
4 Pants - brown silk harem pants (vintage, thrifted), brown linen (ethical, sustainable, thrifted), brown plaid (vintage, thrifted), AA blue linen (sustainable, ethical, 10+).
5 jeans -fleece lined wranglers (vintage, thrifted), blue skinny (sustainable, ethical), Grey skinny (sustainable, ethical), black skinny ( thrifted, 5+), engineer (thrifted).
7 skirts - here is the meat of what I’m going out on a limb with this capsule - black sweater (vintage, thrifted), grey wool (vintage, thrifted), brown leather (vintage, thrifted), orange mini sweater (10+), floral cord (vintage, thrifted), black velvet skater (hand me down), black flowy (10+).
Thats a little over 50 pieces, which is right where I usually hover with my 3 month capsule. The prominent colors are grey (duh), brown, black, and vermillion with some white and cream, and orange. I didn’t include leggings and tights or shoes here. I’m counting them as the winterizing accessories this season.
A full flip through will be going up on the channel soon and I will add that link here when available.
Are you challenging yourself this season with your capsule? What challenges are does your current environment (working from home, the weather, your job or home life changing) present? How are you thinking about your capsule this quarter? Keeping it the same, or trying something new?
Leave your thoughts in the comments!
Something Nice
My Read Shelf progression in 2020.
Weekly Video Round Up #6 - 1/11/2021 - 1/17/2021
1/11 - 5 Favorite & Five Least Favorite Books of 2020 | 2020 in Review |
Hi, I’m Mo.
Thanks for joining me today! I post videos on Mondays and Fridays. I post about books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!
It was pretty hard to pick the top five and bottom five books of 2020!! Have you read any of the books I mention here?
What was your favorite and least favorite book on the year?
Books in this video:
The Wild Places (2007) Robert Macfarlane
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962) Ray Bradbury
Little House in the Suburbs (2012) Deanna Caswell and Daisy Siskins
Basquiat (1997) Pheobe Hoban
The Long Legged Fly (1992) James Sallis
Notes from a Small Island (1995) Bill Bryson
Circus in the Woods (2001) Bill Littlefield
The Old Country (2005) Mordicai Gerstein
Eating Wildly (2014) Ava Chin
Murder at the Vicarage (1930) Agatha Christie
Dayworld (1985) Philip Jose Farmer
Man in the Dark (2008) Paul Auster
Dune (1975) Frank Herbert
Loafing Down Long Island (1921) Charles Hanson Towne
Through a Glass, Darkly (1950) Helen McCloy
The Good Life (1952) Scott and Helen Nearing
The Quiet American (1955) Graham Greene
The Crying of Lot 49 (1966) Thomas Pynchon
Cats in this video: Martin!
Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks
Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin
Please Like, Comment, and Subscribe!
1/13 - 2021 Zero Waste Challenge | One More MOnth to Zero Waste | Part One: Trash Audit!
Hi, I’m Mo.
Thanks for joining me today! I post videos on Mondays and Fridays. I post about books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!
This is the start of my 2021 Zero Waste series, 1 More Month of Zero Waste! You can follow along with this series any time you find it!
For our first month we are doing a trash audit. Divide your trash in whatever way helps you see what trash you generate and where you can cut down on your waste. We will do this for two weeks and see what this challenge tells us!
Join us today or any time, by watching this video figuring out how you want to track your trash and checking the playlist below for the next challenge. Make sure yo leave any questions and what you will be tracking in the comments below!
Cats in this video: Martin, sorta.
Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks
Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin
Please Like, Comment, and Subscribe!
1/15 - Small December Painting | Paint with Me | Watercolor Painting
Hi, I’m Mo.
Thanks for joining me today! I post videos on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I post about books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!
For the last few years, I made weekly goals and to accompany them, I would make a little piece of art. Here is my last weekly goals painting for December 2020. I use Prang Watercolors and I bought this notebook second hand.
Cats in this video: no time for cats.
Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks
Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin
Please Like, Comment, and Subscribe!
When in Doubt, Scrap It Out (or "Just Sew Scraps")
Is sewing block a thing? I’ve been experiencing it lot in recent years. sometimes it lasts for months or years, sometimes a few hours or days. I know how to loosen this block, but whether I actually do it, is up in the air.
The best cure for sewing block, for me, is to get out the scarp bins. Just Sew Scraps could be a mantra.
I have been stumped with the quilt I’m working on. I’ve been only a few lines of quilting away from being ready to bind for over a month now. And yet, somehow I never pick it up to finish. The folded quilt leers at me from it’s spot near my favorite chair, ready for me to pick it up. The thread sits patiently on my desk so I have to look at it every morning. And yet….
Rooting around in the scrap bins feels less weighty, easier to tackle, more like play.
So, a few days ago I did the thing that I know will help unblock my sewing block, and I started sewing some scraps. And I feel so much better!!
What helps you unblock when you are suffering from a sewing block?
Linking up today with Kathy’s Quilts Slow Sunday Stitching. Glad to be back, as always.
Magpie Murders
One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.
After reading his take on Sherlock Holmes I was excited tio read more from Anthony Horowitz, and luckily I already owned Magpie Murders!
Susan Ryland, an editor and publisher of mystery novels, sits down to read the latest book draft from her star writer. She never imagines the twists and turns this new mystery will take her on, both while reading and in real life!
After the first chapter of this book, you start reading another book! The first book you are reading is a mystery. The book within a book that you are reading is a mystery. The book within a book is a knock off off a famous belgian private investigator that we know and love. The more I read, the more obvious and blatant the homage became. And the more I read, the more I was confused as to how this book was going to tie into the original book. The main character, a book editor and publisher, tells you right off that this second book is important and the cataylst to the larger mystery of the first book. So now you have two mysteries, one that you can’t see and one that you haven’t read. Sound frustrating? It is. I found in the end, it was worth it, but I felt it took a long time to get there. I like the idea of a book within a book, I like the characters and side plots, I like the descriptions. My favorite part of this book may have been the fun it poked at the book industry. I don’t work in the book industry but this has become one of my favorite devises this year. I love when writers make fun of writers, editors, and publishers. I’m excited for the next in this series, which I believe comes out in 2021. I wonder what form it will take, could it be another book within a book? I would recommend this book to those who are Agatha Christie fans, or fans of homages to her, fans of straightforward “cozy” style mysteries, and readers who aren’t mad about guessing the ending of a book.
Have you read Magpie Murders?
This book is featured in my Dec Wrap Up.
6 More Months of Zero Waste | The End of 6 More Months?
For more than two years Mad Cat Quilts has featured posts called 6 More Moths of Zero Waste. In this challenge series, we take 6 month increments to get started or work towards becoming better at zero waste. Each month for a 6 month block we tackle a zero waste problem and learn how to be more sustainable, more zero waste, become better at being plastic free. We would usually tackle these challenges the 6 months leading up to Plastic Free July and for the 6 month after PFJ.
In those years we have learned what trash we throw away when we did a trash audit, we’ve done meatless Monday, we’ve learned how to shop second hand, we’ve stopped buying bottled water, learned to grow our own food, and how to compost our scraps, we have become more aware of our consumption and waste, we have become better at the low impact movement lifestyle and we have found ways to use less plastic!
We were chugging reight along for those last few yers. But what happened in December of 2020? Well, that’s question that we could ask about every month in 2020. The last installment of the last block of 6 More Months of Zero Waste will happen…. Eventually.
This was a super fun series and it let me and my reader make new roads towards a more zero waste lifestyle.
But now, it’s time to reinforce some of what we learned in all those 6 month block. As we all know, Zere waste is the goal, but it’s a life long on going journey. We will have times where we fall back into bad habits, or get slack on those we keep. IN order to help us move forward, we can revisit the things we learned to make sure that we are still incorporating them in our daily lives. We will call this One More Month to Zero Waste.
If you feel ready for a refresher, you can go back to the beginning of the blog series, or take a look at any of the blog posts to see past month’s challenges. You can start at the beginning, or you can hop around. Over on my youtube channel we’ll be going month to month with small actionable challenges, based on 6 More Months to Zero Waste starting now! There are many ways to follow along and make every month a chance to be better at zero waste!
Did you have a favorite challenge from this series? One that surprised you? One you already did? What challenges do you feel the need to revisit? Leave us a comment!
2021 Quarterly Goals | Q1 (Jan Feb Mar)
Here we are in Jan 2021 and it’s time to get going on our goals!
Previously I had made monthly goals but for 2021, I’m trying out quarterly goals. These are small things to do, to make into habits, that will help me both in my daily life, but also help me work towards my larger yearly goals. Here are the things that I want to work on in the first quarter.
get dressed every day
Sounds like a no brainer, but I this is something that I don’t do if I don’t have to a lot of times. Especially since leaving my job, I think this is going to be a really important goal and eventually habit. I see this as a way to stay productive, and be ready to go where the day leads me.
yoga every day
We should say “yoga” but I wanted to make sure to change this goals language from how I previously thought and wrote about it. I think changing how I view this goal (from stretching to yoga) will help me achieve it. If you’ve been following along, you know I’ve been trying to unlock this goal forever. Hopefully this is the year!
face smoothing
I dabbled in this early in 2020, but I find this habit invigorating and comforting. Overall good self care. But also, vainly, I hope that I can keep my skin feeling and looking a bit young.
10 k steps
I did soooo well with this goal in early 2020. This is one thaqt I think I will constantly see saw with, but I would love for it to become a part of my life that is automatic.
monthly life admin day
I’m thinking at the end of every moth would be a good time to take one day and really focus on getting the things done that I have been putting off. One pitfall to be careful of is not to just leave things for that day.
cleaning schedule
Another activity that I want to get more scheduled in is cleaning. Whether it be daily, weekly, or monthly, I want to have a more regimented cleaning schedule in order to get more things than just basic cleaning. Dusting, vacuuming and other deep cleaning tasks need a time to get done more often.
3 vids per week
I want to stay consistent and find a schedule that works for me. I want to grow my channel and creat a community there. It just occured to me that I should shanre some more detailed goals about my channel here.
6 blog posts per week
As with the last goal, I wnt to get in the habit of posting more consistantly, and grow this community. If you’ve read this far, let me know some 1 thing you like about this blog and 1 thing you dont?
instagram
And here, I would like to link the last two goals and this one. I want to get my insta back to a place where when I look back on it, I see a diary of the weeks and months. And I also want to incorporate my blog and channel into my insta.
What kind of goals are you setting this year? Big goals that span the who 12 months? Quarterly goals, weekly goals? Daily goals? How are you helping yourself achieve you ambitions, intentions and dreams in 2021?
Weekly Video Round Up #5 - 1/4/2021 - 1/10/2021
1/4 - December Reading Wrap Up | Last Wrap Up of 2020 | 9 Books in Dec |
Hi, I’m Mo.
Thanks for joining me today! I post videos on Mondays and Fridays. I post about books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!
Here we have the 9 books I read in December 2020.
Books in this Video:
The Infinite Blackop (2018) Sara Gran
Eating Wildly: (2014) Ava Chin
Ghosts of Cape May (1988) xx and xx
It’s Fine By Me (1995) Per Petterson
Magpie Murders (2014) Anthony Horowitz
The Moving Finger (1942) Agatha Christie
Buried (2020) Jeffery Deaver
The Big Sleep (1939) Raymond Chandler
The Mistletoe Murders (Collected in 2016) PD James
Infinite Blacktop, Eating Wildly, Ghost Stories of Cape may and It’s fine by me can all be seen in mytwo 1000 Doors Readathon Vlogs:
The rest can be seen in my Cloak and Dagger Christmas Readathon Vlogs: xx and one coming soon!
Cats in this Video:
Original Music in this video:
1/6 - BxxKmas 2020 Wrap Up | Cloak and Dagger Christmas Wrap Up |
Hi, I’m Mo.
Thanks for joining me today! I post videos on Mondays and Fridays. I post about books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!
Finally we are at the last BxxKmas Vlog, the last vlog of 2020, and the end of Cloak and Dagger Christmas! In this vlog, I read 4 short stories, finish 6 (or 9 depending how you look at it!) prompts to make Police Detective, watch some street construction, take a nap, see some xmas trees, take a walk, thank a bunch of people, and look at the rain.
What was the end of 2020 like for you?
Books in this video:
The Infinite Blackop (2018) Sara Gran - Billard Room
Magpie Murders (2014) Anthony Horowitz - Library/Study
The Moving Finger (1942) Agatha Christie -Kitchen/Lounge
Buried (2020) Jeffery Deaver - Hall
The Big Sleep (1939) Raymond Chandler - Conservatory
The Mistletoe Murders (Collected in 2016) PD James - Dining Room/Ballroom
Cloak and Dagger Christmas Readathon:
Hosts: Kate Howe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgcj...
Carolyn from Carolyn’s Reading Ramblings Kate from The Novel Nomad: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4Tw...
Janelle from Too Fond of Books:
Clue Prompts:
1. Study: Associated with your profession, what you studied in college, or a field you'd like to learn about more www.stopyourekillingme.com/JobCats/index.html
2. Library: A book that references books, borrow a book from the library
3. Hall: entry into a new-to-you mystery sub genre or author or series
4. Billiard room: [cue balls] next numbered book in a series, book has a game or sport involved
fantasticfiction.com
5. Conservatory: nature, travel, warm climate
6. Kitchen: cozy food-based mystery, small town mystery
7. Dining Room: closed circle, small group of people, hotel, dinner party
8. Lounge: [cocktails] written or set during the Golden Age (1920s-30s)
9. Ballroom: party
Amateur Sleuth Level: 3 prompts Police Detective Level: 5 prompts Sherlock Holmes Level: 9 prompts
BxxKmas 2020:
1) Dec 2nd - Non Fiction November Vlog: https://youtu.be/vACxBZIhVew
2) Dec 4th - TBR ASMR no. 3: https://youtu.be/YTPm8Vnp3sc
3) Dec 5th - Anti TBR Tag: https://youtu.be/LCvUj-WBNu0
4) Dec 7th - November Wrap Up: https://youtu.be/wd1QYJwUIZM
5) Dec 9th - BxxKmas Vlog 1, 1000 doors readathon: https://youtu.be/CXVIqTGpcKw
6) Dec 12th - LoFi seltzer ASMR: https://youtu.be/FxTKboI8JQ8
7) Dec 13th - Nonfiction Booktube tag: https://youtu.be/UNOqe53w-I0
8) Dec 16th - Reaching My GoodReads Goal in 2020: https://youtu.be/SQyQ-dPlSkI
9) Dec 18th - BxxKmas vlog 2, 1000 doors reasathon wrap up: https://youtu.be/dr9xOg2y_68
10) Dec 19th - Move my bookcase with me: https://youtu.be/9XOKXAUpjoc
11) Dec 20th - 20 books from 2020 that I want to read in 2021: https://youtu.be/2B-1-xsbn1U
12) Dec 22nd - BookTube Reflections Tag: https://youtu.be/hiJ6fYrs5c4
13) Dec 23rd - BxxKmas Vlog 3, Cloak and Dagger 1: https://youtu.be/xYL8Jkucg68
14) Dec 26th - Daily Bullet Journal Fill In: https://youtu.be/diKPqNabev8
15) Dec 27th - Bookish and BookTube Goals: https://youtu.be/YjCzDYGE46A
16 ) Dec 31st - BxxKmas vlog 4, Cloak and Dagger 2: https://youtu.be/t3i8wErU4X0
17) Jan 1st - January Bujo Spread:
Cats in this video: Martin!
Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks
Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin
Please Like, Comment, and Subscribe!
1/8/2021 - TBR ASMR #4 | BookTube ASMR | Lofi, no talking, book scratching, tapping, page turning, brushing
Hi, I’m Mo.
Thanks for joining me today! I post videos on Mondays and Fridays. I post about books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!
Here is a ASMR TBR where I play around with some books I may read and make lofi ASMR. There is no talking in this video but you will hear tapping, scratching, page turning, breathing, and book brushing.
What are your favorite book sounds?
Books in this video:
Woodswoman (1975) Anne LaBastille
Mr. Wilson's Cabinet Of Wonder: Pronged Ants, Horned Humans, Mice on Toast, and Other Marvels of Jurassic Technology (1995) Lawrence Weschler
Cats in this video: none
Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks
Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin
Please Like, Comment, and Subscribe!
Mad Cat Garden | December 2020
Every month for the last few years, I have looked back at the pics I took of the garden the previous, and gone over them in this column. And this month, I don’t have any. I have no pics of our garden from dec 2020.
Crazy.
I could have simply skipped this series this month, but that just didn’t feel right. This year was such a great year in our garden in many ways and this has given me an opportunity to look back over 2020 and our garden.
In January, the photos look bright and sunny! There was chard and a radish still growing in the garden. There was also snow that month, so it wasn’t all off to a sunny start. It was sad to remember our jackfruit trees and see them as small babies, thriving. Jan felt full of potential, but too early for lots of growth.
The groundhog predicted an early spring and much of the family was out observing the garden in Feb. We worked on the compost, and saw out onion of two years still surviving the winter. Inside the jackfruit was growing and we were rearranging the house to keep them and other seedlings in the sunny spots.
In March, especially towards the end saw so much change and growth in the garden. Inside seedlings and sprouts were going strong and we were quickly running out of space! Luckily by the end of the month we moved a few things outside! We got lettuces and other leafy greens to plant outside as well. The blueberries were budding, the onion growing, and all over the garden, plants were starting to peak out of the earth. Around the neighborhood, we also started seeing other people prepping their own gardens!
In April, there were peppers, peas and other plants jumping up under the grow lights inside. Lettuces, kale, cauliflower, and more were started in the outside beds. Herbs we planted the month before were taking off in our front beds. We were also trying new experiments with beds. We took a shelving unit that came with the house when we bought it, and had been living in the basement for years, got new life as a 5th backyard bed.
In May, more herbs, more new beds, tomatoes, raspberry bushes, flowers and a pile of dirt!
In June our radishes had already gone to seed, brussels were brusseling, lettuces and kale were huge. Peppers were starting and we were branching out with new veggies, like edemame. Summer was here and the garden seemed small but was starting to feel quite lush. Blueberries were popping up and we were already fighting the birds to get a few for ourselves. And out onion was huge!
In July the lettuces had bolted, we had basil, mint lavender, the blueberries were getting ripe and eaten before we could taste them. We had shishitos, tomatoes, and greens to eat. But the garden was still in a blooming stage. By this time in 2019, we were over flowing with fruit and veg. This year this the garden seems a bit stunted.
In August flowers were blooming, raspberries were berrying, and we were harvesting zucchini, a new veg for our garden. We were eating from the garden a lot at this point. this was the height of the garden, but we were still surprised that the garden wasn’t as lush as the previous year.
By September, the garden was winding down and I was writing about the joy of using up our last veg and eating the end of our favorite summer meals. We had also finally put up our green house and were starting to populate it.
In October the morning glories we re still going strong and we were pursuing our new new favorite pastime of seed saving. This was the month we saved the most seeds. We saved out own seeds and we also went foraging for seeds. We hope to use a lot of the seeds we saved in the spring and summer of 2021.
In November we had packed the greenhouse almost full and we were cleaning out the beds. We still had our brussels which never fully matured and we never picked. We were still eating lettuce and kale from the greenhouse.
And now, in December, the beds are bare. All the plants that hibernate in the winter are doing so. We moved as many flowers as we could into the greenhouse but it’s getting harder to keep it warm on below freezing nights. We thrifted a space heater and has it helped add some warmth on the coldest nights. We are starting now, to think about the new growing season. Our grower friends are buying seeds and we are all making plans for 2021.
What was your garden like in 2020? Did it thrive or was it sparse? Was it what you expected or was it surprising? What are you plans for 2021?
It's Fine By Me
One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.
I’ve read two other Per Petterson books before and really enjoyed them. When I saw It’s Fine by Me used online, I picked it up.
When Arvid moves with his mother away from the country side and away from his family troubles there, he enters school with the persona of the tough guy. He doesn’t expect to make friends, he doesn’t expect to finish school, and he doesn’t expect his troubles to follow him.
A lot of people goals for reading is to read more translated work. I would say that is a goal for me as well, but I always wonder about translated books: how much is what the author wrote and what the translator interpreted? It’s Fine By Me is the third Per Petterson and I think his writing really shows thru translation. All the books I have read seem to be semi autobiographical. The common themes are young men coming of age, coming to grips with manhood (to varying degrees of success) and accepting their own trauma and the trauma they themselves cause. I think Petterson says a lot about the anger inherent in young men, and how that developes overtime, how men can overcome that or feed into it. Although I would call Petterson’s style of writing “quiet” his books are packed with emotions of anger, frustration, doubt, and hope. His writing, characters and setting really set a mood and transport you to his stories. I like while each of the books I’ve read have had differences, they have also brought me back to that place that is very Petterson, and I believe that is his intent. I would recommend this book to readers that like coming of age stories, stories set in Scandinavia, and books that examine how angry boys grow up.
Have you read any Per Petterson? Who writes your favorite coming of age stories?
This book is featured in my Dec Wrap Up.
2020 Monthly Goals | December Wrap Up and Plans for 2021
December really flew by but it felt like a great close to the year. I think I got work done on most of my goals, even if they didn’t really get done. Does that even make sense? Here were my Dec goals:
Cleaning Routine
I want to really get a routine for cleaning done. I think I need a bujo tracker or something.
I didn’t get a routine doewn, but I did do bettere than in past mionths with consistantly cleaning.
Stretch 10 min, Walk 10k
These are both harder for me in the winter, but I want to make this a routine.
This was a total fail, but I think 2021 will be better for both of these.
Life Admin Day (in the first 1/2 of the month)
Gotta get it done.
Nope.
Bxxkmas
On youtube there is vlogmas, on booktube there is bookmas. My goal is to make as many videos as I can in Dec. But Since my vids won’t be xmas themed, I’m calling my series BxxKmas.
Yes!! I was able to plan, film and post almost all the vids I wanted. It taught me a ton about making videos and it was a relly good experience.
You can check out all my monthly goals for 2020 here. You can see some notes that I made on those goals, as well. Overall, for weekly goals and grander goals, 2020 was really productive. I’m really happy with how I did and strides that I made.
Now on to plans for 2021!!
For the new year, I have decided that I don’t want to make a monthly goals list. I want to do things a little differently and make quarterly goals! I think having a bit more time to work on goals and create habits will be good for what I want to achieve this year. Another thing that I think will help me is revisiting goals more often. I’m not sure if I will do this by rewriting my goals, visiting them on the blog, or finding another way to repeat and think about them more often. I’m still working on what these longer quarterly goals will be.
What kind of goals are you setting this year? How often do you set them? How do you revisit or reiterate them?
December Plant Update
We spent way too much time in December indoors. The weather turned cold and we had work to do, and the month went so fast! We did get out some and tried to take walks and make some plant observations when we could.
The surfers braved the cold, but were rewarded by beautiful skies in Dec.
I was taken with this speckled sand.
Near Deal Lake, flowers bloomed in December.
Our boxwood has these amazing bright green tips with tinges of red.
I was captivated by the huge aloe.
Back on my wreath game.
Made from all foraged materials.
Hello, Neighbor.
Goodbye 2020.
Another year of plant observations on the books! Even though we didn’t go out too much, I feel we were mindful of our practice to observe the plants and nature around us. We went to a few parks, and made a point to walk. We were disappointed when we could not. In 2021, I’m excited to keep up this habit and this series!
Cape May Ghost Stories
One of my goals in 2020 (and 2021!) is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.
Perhaps I picked up Cape May Ghost Stories by David J Seibold and Charles J Adams III in Cape May? But I’m not sure.
Mysteries visions, strange noises, cold spells, papers fluttering, objects moving, and other spooky and startling events are only a few stories that are told to two authors when they reach out to find out if historic Cape May is actually haunted.
This book was written in the late eighties but it was fun read about places and land marks that are familiar to me today. Cape May is a Victorian beach town and one of the first beach resort destinations in the history of modern America. It perfectly lends it’s self to ghost stories and according to those in this book there are ghosts and spirits at every turn. Many of these stories are quite flimsy as far as evidence of life beyond the grave, but the spooky and mysterious nature fits in perfectly with the back drop of Cape May. The authors put out a call for people in surrounding areas to come forward with tales of the unknown and it seems there were quite a few to be told. Seibold and Adams tell the stories as it was told to them, sometimes doing additional research. Most of the names and some of the locations have been changed. I really liked how homespun this book is. It feel like friends who are interested in different things and writing books about them, ghost stories being one of those subjects. I would recommend this book to people who like local or small town stories, those interested in supernatural stories, or anyone who has visited and loved Cape May.
What books about local places have you liked?
2021 Goals
When I took some time to look back over the goals I made in 2020, I think I did really well. Only a few of my goals were derailed by the pandemic and, in fact, many were enhanced by it! I decided for 2021 I would take the same format that I used last year to make my goals. One habit I am trying to create is to look at my goals more often, reread and reassess this list at regular time and often in the year. Some of these I explain, but I won’t bore you with super in depth explanations of all of them.
Creation Over Consumption
In 2020 I think my consumption has really changed but the other day I had a realization about how much I’m still consuming. Like suddenly I realized that watching youtube is just watching TV. This might seem like a no brainer, but I always thought of yourtube as teaching me something and therefore not mindless like TV. I also realized basically the same thing about reading. Now, obviously there are levels of consumption, from mindless to imporatnt. And I’m very happy that my consumption has leaned more to the imporant and edulcational this year. But in 2021, I want to make sure that my creation and creativity is at least more balanced, and more of a priorioty.
Be More Self Sustainable
Double down on zero waste - I feel like in some ways I have gotten better at zero waste and in some ways more complacent. In 2021, I want to renew my pledge to the zero waste and low impact lifestyle in dramatic ways.
Live slow
Work more - Usually this goals is flipped but in 2021, I want to work more for MYSELF!
Forage more
Grow more food
Beach more
Spend less
Health
Cook more
Cat health
Find doctors
Walk
Swim
Stretch/yoga
Health and supplements
House Projects
Kitchen
Basement
Woodstove
Roof
Piano
Clean and reduce
Travel and Explore - I’m not convinced there will be a lot of travel this year, but we can explore locally.
Irving in the car
Explore possible vaca home locales
Reading, Booktube, Blog
Read every day (65 books at least for the year)
Build my content creation and community
Be consistent with blogs and videos (schedule, schedule, schedule)
Be creative
Besides my yearly goals, I usually do monthly goals, but this year I’m going to change it up a bit. Keep your eye out for my 2020 Monthly Goals Dec Recap! I want to make sure that I am working towards my larger yearly goals each month and I think this new system is going to help.
How are you feeling about your 2021 goals?
Eating Wildly
One of my goals in 2020 (and 2021!) is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.
I picked up Eating Wildly: Foraging for Life, Love, and the Perfect Meal by Ava Chin at a goodwill this year.
During one of her most difficult and challenging years, Ava Chin discovers her love of foraging and it changes her life forever.
When I picked this up my husband said I wasn’t going to like it. He predicted that this was going to be too much of a self help book, too much of a romance, too cloying. And he was right, for the most part it was not a self help book). Chin shares difficult areas of life: her break up, difficult relationship with her month and father, her grandmother’s failing health, insecurity in work and life as she moved through her 30s. She also shares the joys of discovering foraging and her growing confidence in the subject. Unfortunately the way she conveys this information is disorganized, jumps confusingly in time, and is told in a surprisingly over dramatic way. Her writing is flowery, over descriptive and twee. It’s hard to be so critical of a memoir, bc this not only is someone’s life, but how they want to tell you about it. Even though many aspects of this book were not only disappointing but actually offensive to me, I can’t discount that this is Ava Chin’s story in her own words. That being said, if I can sum up how I felt about this book in three words: overly self indulgent. I appreciate Chin’s difficult childhood, her troubles navigating even the most basic of romantic relationships, her crushing insecurities about work and her own abilities, her self pity and denial of privilege, but I can’t appreciate the sappy and sophomoric way in which she relates these things. What I found most offensive was that despite all the phycological, physical and emotional work she does to over come her difficulties, the only thing that really makes her problems feel solved (to herself) is finding a boyfriend. She takes the reader on a journey of healing, but is the lasting lesson is one is not whole with out a man. I was greatly disappointed that one of the only books I read by an Asian American author in 2020 was a terrible book, especially bc it was a memoir of a mostly interesting life. But I know that is more my short coming at not reading enough diverse authors. I bought Eating Wildly with the idea that I would pass it on to a foraging friend after I was done, but I cannot recommend this book to her or anyone else.
Have you ever gotten a book that you hoped to pass on but decided you couldn’t?
Regularly Scheduled Programing 2020
I’ve always had the goals to make reoccurring posts on Mad Cat Quilts. I love to visit my favorite blogs each week or mouth and see my favorite posts. Lately, I’ve been loving checking out the weekly cocktails section of The Guardian and TBR games on BookTube (Alicia Reads has my favorite).
What are some of your favorite columns in your favorite blogs?
In 2016, I started looking back and seeing what of these posts I used regularly and making a list. This is for my own memory, mostly, but you may want to take a look back, too! Here are my regular series from 2020:
There are several series that are more usually updated, monthly and/or weekly:
Month in Review - A review of each month and my favorite instagrams for that month.
Monthly Plant Update - A review of all the plants I've observed for each month.
Mad Cat Garden - We started our garden a few years ago, but it’s become a great blog feature.
On My Mind On Friday Morning - A few things I've noticed around the internet, and life, recorded on Friday morning.
Book Reviews - What I've been reading, showcased on quilts.
Weekly Video Round Ups - Here I put the collection of videos from my BookTube each week.-
6 More Months of Zero Waste - In this series of posts we tackle moving to a more zero waste lifestyle. We will be taking a break (kinda) on this series up for at least the first six months of 2021.
Bullet Journal - I've been keeping a BuJo for several years now, and I like to check in about once a month.
Mad Cat Capsule - In 2017, I started keeping a capsule wardrobe, follow my progress here. (added this year)
Zero Waste - 2017 also marked the start of my zero waste, plastic free journey. I post thoughts, ideas, recipes, and goals.
Something Nice - Don't you love it when nice stuff happens?
Something New - Something new I've learned or done.
.Tattoo Story - To remember my tattoos and why I got them, I record it here.
Recipes - I want to include more recipes, specifically zero waste recipes, here.
Definitions - Some terms that I and other bloggers use but might be new to you. Here’s where you can learn more about all the things we talk about on MCQ.
Product Review - This is where I record reviews of products I have tried.
Monthly Goals - I have been trying to achieve several monthly goals so taht they can eventually become regular habits.
Pandemic Pantry - Originally started to showcase how to use up items druing the worst of lock down, I have taken aspects of this practice into daily life.
Homeschooling - In 2020, I started recording my homeschooling history. I would like to expand this series more in 2021.
Tattoo Story - The stories of my tattoos.
Joy of Using Up - This has been an off and on series, but I find myself gravitating to it more and more.
A Week of Books - Here I post even more book reviews to catch up and keep on track!
Sewing/Quilting - I would really like to bring back weekly sewing posts, but so far I’ve made it about one monthly.
Shelfie - Just pics of my home. (this one is an old series, but something I would like to bring back monthly).
There have been quite a few series that have fallen by the wayside, some I would like to bring back, others that might be gone forever.
Art and Nature... - Art and nature go together. I like to write about it here.
Zoo at Home, Zoo Abroad - We love to visit animals, zoos, aquariums, etc... when we can.
Travel - One of my long standing goals is to document my travels.
Life Admin Day -
Off Season - Notes on places I've seen, been, or explored and why I like them better in the off season.
What I Eat in a Day - I love to eat, love to know what people are eating, love to share!
Habit Shift - Here I talk about the habits I love and those I want to make
Several of these columns have not gotten too much love this year. Do you have a favorite feature on Mad Cat Quits?
Every year one of my goals is to be a better blogger. I hope that by creating columns and focus for my blog I will eventually achieve this to my satisfaction. I love to create this post each year to be able to look back and see my progress.
