It seems as though fall came early this year. Two weeks into September, a tree that lines a street along my walking circuit started to turn. For the first few days, just a single patch of red streaked the green, as if it had been shocked into the change. But soon enough, the whole tree blazed bold as a stop sign, and the other trees began to catch up.
In a month as busy as this one (I started my new teaching job in earnest, hosted three gatherings in as many days over the course of the weekend of my brother's wedding, and did my best to balance the many responsibilities of daily life with the precious opportunities to connect with family and friends), time goes by so fast; it doesn't seem possible for it to be October already. But as I walked Dobby this afternoon, I spotted that overachieving early bird of a tree, its now-sparse branches an indisputable witness to the passage of time. September really has gone. In its fleeting moments, this is how I occupied myself.
What I Read
A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle (★★★★)
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street, Jeanne Birdsall (★★★★★)––reread
The Penderwicks at Point Mouette, Jeanne Birdsall (★★★★★)––reread
The Penderwicks in Spring, Jeanne Birdsall (★★★★★)
The Penderwicks at Last, Jeanne Birdsall (★★★)
I'll Be the One, Lyla Lee (★★★)
You Should See Me in a Crown, Leah Johnson (★★★)
Talking Back to Purity Culture: Rediscovering Faithful Christian Sexuality, Rachel Joy Welcher (★★★★★)––advance copy
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling (★★★★★)––reread
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling (★★★★★)––reread
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (★★★★★)––reread
If you want to hear the rationale behind my rating, head to my Goodreads for full reviews.
What I Cooked
Although I love just about all remotely Asian dishes I've tried, I rarely make them at home. But I had some sandwich steak in my freezer, and I didn't want to make fajitas, so I went with this instead. I didn't love that I had to make the sauce in a separate pan (I may have a dishwasher now, but I still love a good one-pot meal), but the whole thing came together quickly enough regardless. As promised, it tasted like a classic order of beef and broccoli, and both Mitchell and I enjoyed it. The sauce does congeal strangely if you end up with leftovers, but it still tastes good. This blogger also has a sheet pan version, which I'd be curious to try to see how it compares.
I thought we were collectively past putting the word "crack"in the titles of recipes we consider delicious, but apparently not. In any case, I wanted to serve a ranch dip along with some veggies during my various entertaining opportunities at the beginning of the month, and this one seemed simple enough. I wouldn't say it was addictive enough to deserve to be called "crack," but it did taste like a good, classic ranch dip, so I suppose it did the job.
What I Created
Unpublished original poem "Things to Consider"
Poem "A Teacher's Benediction"
A lot of great PowerPoints
October is beginning, which means I'll be seeing a lot of Anne of Green Gables quotations and Halloween decorations in my newsfeeds. And if that lone red tree near my house is any indication of things to come, I'll be seeing a lot more beauty as well.