What Made August Bearable

Let us just begin that as far as I am concerned August can be taken off the calender and told to have a time out. Too much drama and worry for one month. Still there are things that brightened it and made it bearable.

Activities
-Little mini Labor day weekend trip to Kansas City where I basically did nothing but enjoy KC's culinary tradition of barbecue, buy lovely little local food products, and most of all hang out with friends and relax. We do this every year and this year's trip was much needed. I think what always amazes me is just great and vibrant Kansas City's food scene is, there are a lot of local and amazing products.

Books
-The Year of the Flood by Margerat Atwood, second book in the MaddAddam trilogy, and well what more can be said other than Atwood is brilliant. Giving myself a week or two before continuing on to MaddAddam.
-Hens Dancing by Raffella Barker, a sweet easy summer read if there ever was one. Made me wish I lived in the English countryside.
-The End of Eve by Ariel Gore, I just don't know how to summarize this one other than, how would you deal with your sociopathic mother who is dying on top of the ordinary crap that life throws at you? Gore gives her memoir of doing so and well it is brilliant, tragic, and hopeful. Shit happens.
-Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast. I highly recommend to anyone with elderly parents and having to deal with the big questions. Hilarious, insane, but frank in a warm way that is never saccharine.

Film/Television
-Stories We Tell, adored Sarah Polley's honest exploration of how we see others and how the stories tell can be so different about the same person. Very touching but creative.

Scent
-Lavender, musks, and comfort scents needed them so much in August. Hoping to be able to at some point be able to break out some Autumn oriented scents.

Recipe
Atlantic Beach Pie; salty, sweet, and tart. Enough said :-).

Ear Worm

image by Laura Ballesteros