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By the lovely Grace Farris.
P.S. Fall bingo and other fall traditions.
May We Suggest…
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Perfection! Just missing a candle! :-)
Yes! A year and a half ago I relocated from the West Coast of Norway to the East, which is considerably less rainy. Most days, this is beneficial, but whenever I get into the Autumn season I cross my fingers and do a little dance for a super rainy weekend (ideally torrential downpour on Sunday). It’s the perfect excuse to curl up on the couch with a book, and to do all those home items tickling the back of my brain (i.e. paying bills, online courses).
This captures my idea of a perfect day!
I feel attacked, lol!
A thousand yesses. Just missing a cat (or three) and a sliced apple.
wait…is there a camera in my house?! 😉
This is delightful!
Adding: Dog at feet. Otherwise perfect :)
100% yes, as always! Grace is the best.
haha love this and also… is that the cup of jo cardigan??
oh my gosh, it really does look like it!!!
https://cupofjo.com/2020/09/reading-sweater-cupofjo-alex-mill/
Oh my gosh, LIz, I thought the same thing!!!!!
yes. it is seared into my memory of reading the 7th Harry Potter book in the family room in my dad’s green recliner and it was raining. The best feeling of having no responsibility except to read. and the best part was that the memory was spontaneously created–these days i lament that because of how easy it is to take and share photos, we’re all too aware what a memory looks like from a birds eye view even as it is happening.
Ooooh! I love the details of the mismatched socks and that the reader is wearing CoJ’s reading sweater. You are too clever Grace.
On fall weekends, making the bed is “transitioning to day sleeping.” My two cats bookend my sides, and I read until the sunlight stretches like taffy (or I nod off; those cats are lethal). Perfection.
Hopefully, my Sunday! We are forecasted for rain, so I’m doing my housework and laundry this evening in preparation for a “do nothing” day on Sunday! YAY!
This is a good summary of how I like to curl up with a book (most of the year)! Inspired by a comment I read on here, I think, in the last months, I’ve been reading in the morning with my coffee instead of getting on my computer. The person who made the comment talked about how it felt luxurious to start the day with a few minutes of reading, and, after having started doing it, I totally agree! It’s so nice to let myself wake up with coffee and a few pages of a good story instead of diving right into emails and a computer screen. I’ve also gotten much better at ending my “productive” tasks a little earlier in the evenings so I have some time to read before bed too. And, unsurprisingly, these changes mean I’ve been reading more books than I used to!
I love this idea. I work 6 a.m. – 3 p.m. (thanks to living on the west coast and working for an east coast employer), but wake up with plenty of time to read for 20-30 minutes before starting my day. I don’t currently, but I’m going to institute this before diving into hours of staring at a screen.
Whew I’m usually *very* into these cozy vibes, but I’ve been working-from-home for…. almost two years now?? And I’m just feeling sick of my house, especially when coupled with minimal travel. My desk is 3 feet away from my couch and ending a work day and only moving three feet to switch into relaxation mode, isn’t feeling that great lately. Sometimes this little house feels like a prison cell :( I find myself going out to run errands, get a coffee, even when I don’t need/want to, just to find more excuses to be anywhere but here. ughhh sorry to be a whiner on this happy cozy post!
I feel you Meg! I’ve found myself reading at the kitchen table a lot for this very reason. Or the fire escape even! My butt falls asleep on our hard chairs, but it’s a *different* space than where I work all day (which is, unfortunately, the couch).
Consider taking your book (and yourself) outside for a little reading date! go to a fun coffeeshop or pretty place outdoors with a good picnic blanket. Best, from Cristina in Houston
Meg, deep feels for this. The seemingly endless cycle of bed, desk, couch while the global pandemic screams on is collectively exhausting. Caffeine, too, is at an all-time high, but the once joyful walk to the coffee shop is now just another task that takes up space between desk and couch. Here to say, you’re not alone, home’s can be prison’s too, and it’s ok to whine. I am holding onto a reminder that it is the distinctions between the highs and lows that make the highs so life-filling. The up’s are on their way whether or not we can see or feel them coming.
Thanks for this. I think I needed this commiseration. I am incredibly lucky to have a workspace that’s tucked in a room upstairs away from my living space, but that spare room in my otherwise small beloved home has become associated with so much anxiety and negativity now. I’ll have to burn sage or some crazy hippy dippy thing when this pandemic is finally over (it will end, right?) so I can try to make this a fully happy home again. But as the winter approaches I feel an almost palpable anxiety about the world shrinking down to these few rooms again. I have to chant to myself almost like a mantra – this year will be better. At least I’ll be able to go to museums and bookstores.
But no dog on the empty cushion? That would do it for me.
This is my husband today! He is home with a head cold. I’ll just have to live vicariously through him while I am at work today! Thankfully it’s a Friday, though!
Adding in a snuggly kitty and this hopefully will be an hour of my afternoon… complete with drizzly rain. What a cozy image! Starting the End of Absence by Michael Harris.
Last winter I got so sucked in to David Mitchell’s ‘Utopia Avenue’ that I didn’t move from the couch for an entire weekend. I always read a lot so my husband is used to it, but that was the first time he’d ever been like, “so….do you want to hang out with me at all this weekend? Or do anything at all?” He was jealous of the book :’-D
I can feel the coziness of this entire set up! This also goes well with watching movies and having yourself a good cry. =)
Totally! Had a big happy/sad cry (as did my husband) watching the documentary about Fred Rogers last night, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor”. So good!
Add – spouse took the kids to the museum/Target/friends house/grandparents and this is perfection!
This perfectly sums up everything I get so excited about each fall. I’m not a big summer person (the HEAT! the humidity! the amplified smells of NYC garbage!), and that first crisp, leaf-smelling day of fall makes my heart swell. Snuggling in with a great read and having all the essentials at arm’s reach is just the best. Even better with a favorite candle glowing and the windows open to let in the smell of my neighbor’s burning fireplace when they decide to light it. Reminds me of my childhood home.
I’ve also found myself listening to audiobooks lately and popping in my earbuds while cooking, cleaning, and on walks to the park. Looking forward to doing this even as the weather gets increasingly cold. I’m crossing my fingers to find a great holiday read for a snowy day this winter – suggestions welcome!
The Boston Girl, narrated by Linda Lavin. Delightful. And Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk. Incredible listens.
Ooh Laura, thank you so much!! Adding these to the top of my list.
(not pictured: child care)
dream scenario right there!
Ah, I feel SEEN. Currently reading “Rules of Civility,” an homage to 1930s NYC. Perfect cozy, reading-while-raining fare.
Loved that book! The art references! The clever dialogue! The having-to-read-between-the-lines because the narrator holds some back. Perfection.
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