Hi, Hey, Hello!
Goodness, Iām so happy to see you! How the heck are you?!
I’m so glad we have the time to settle in for a proper chat! What can I get started for you? Iām brewing up some black tea with milk and honey (obviously) but also have coffee or any herbal tea your heart could desire.
Growing
With June upon us (can you believe it?!), we’ve been getting our consistent (late) Spring rains and everything is so beautifully green! All the seeds are germinating, the perennials are popping, and the weeds are vying for all the space they can get!
I’ll spend a large portion of my weekend sorting out as many beds as possible while the sun shines and before the next waves of rains hit (currently forecasted for early next week).
How’s your garden growing? And the weather in your area?
Reading
I’ve decided that there are simply too many books I want to read and it’s an issue…
But only because I simply don’t have the time to read them all š
I have, though, been quite pleased with my progress towards reaching my 2025 reading goals and am excited about the Summer reading challenge I’ve decided to participate in.
I’m currently listening to Stephen King’s newest, Never Flinch, and am really enjoying it. I’m also at the tail end of Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill and excited to see how this sweet book wraps up.
Next up is Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo. I thought I could dive in a few days ago but I really should finish Greenteeth first so I can properly focus on this banned book I’ve heard so many good things about!
What are you currently reading or lining up in your TBR? Any Summer Reading Challenges in your future?
Fifty
While my wife and daughter were in STL recently and I has some uber rare time to myself, I did a lot of reading, writing, reflecting on life in general, and fine tuning setting myself up for success in the smallest ways. It was absolutely lovely and took me off on all kinds of thought paths.
One of those paths directed me towards my 50th Birthday.
I honestly don’t put a lot of weight in age and don’t have any worries about the turning of the calendar pages but turning 50 in 2026 feels like a bit of a big deal. As I was rolling this around in my head, I remembered seeing a few x before I’m x posts in recent years so I sat down to do some google searches and give it all some thought.
Many of the lists I found contained big items to cross off like big trips or sky diving. Those experiences are wonderful, but not what I had in mind for my own (then imaginary) list. So, I took some time to think about what my parameters could be and came up with:
- Simple
- Affordable
- Novel
- Achievable
With those parameters in mind, I just started brainstorming ideas and before I knew it I had just over 30 experiences on my list including completing a 1000 piece puzzle, re-learning how to play Cribbage, attending an Author talk, re-creating a favorite memory, painting my nails a color I’d normally never wear, trying 12 new recipes, and taking a mud bath.
So, yes, it looks like I’m pulling together a 50 Before I’m 50 list! I don’t have a hard start date, probably soon, though š
I’d love to know if you’ve created or contemplated a similar list and would love to hear any ideas you think I might like to add to this list!
I’ll post the complete list when I feel good about it and am ready to begin.
Thanks for sharing a cuppa with me this week! I so appreciate the company š
As always, big thanks to Natalie for hosting us and providing a platform for us to find each other.
If you have a few extra minutes, please pop over and see what others are up to, too!
Onward,
Melissa
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The strawberries look yummy. Last Night at the Telegraph Club sounds interesting. I’ll add it to my TBR list. I saw a tile mural a while ago and it was titled Tree of Life, like your puzzle. Thank you for your weekend coffee share. Have a wonderful weekend!
Hi Natalie! I bet the tile mural of the Tree of Life was gorgeous! Thanks for popping by! Hope you enjoyed a lovely weekend and have a great week ahead!
There are so many wonderful things happening in your coffee post that I’m not sure which one to comment on. Are you on Goodreads, Melissa? I’d love to connect there and share books and reviews: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22385277.Shari_Marshall
I love your Before 50 list. Simple, affordable, achievable, and novel is perfect. One of the things on my list is to re-read some of my favorite books. I’ve been working on mine mist for a few years. So, I also grew and donated my hair. That said, I do have some things on there that might not happen, like seeing a shark breach or visiting the Florida Everglades. . . I also like to update mine because I find that some of my ideas change. I say keep it fun.
Ah! So good to hear from you! Thank you so much for sharing about your list! I love the idea of re-reading favorite books as it’s one of my favorite things to do. It never ceases to amaze me how life and time change how I interpret a book š And yes, there will only be fun on my list, guaranteed! Unfortunately, I am not on Goodreads anymore. I never properly utilized it and recently moved over to StoryGraph, which I’m enjoying greatly. Do you have a StoryGraph account? I’m melis_willis there.
Hi, I can’t remember consiously thinking I must do x, y or z before I’m xx. But to me age is only a number and I can tell you at 70 I can still create as much mischief and fun as I did when I was 21 LoL I do remember 50 as a wonderful age as we started a new adventure in Portugal.
I love the mud bath idea!
Circling back to gardening. Your strawberries look delicious. Home grown are best.
I have no doubt you can still kick up all the mischief š I am greatly looking forward to every day ahead and I think part of this list is just a little prod to more intentionally step out of my comfort zone and have a little fun in the process.
The strawberries are divine! So grateful for every harvest š
Hope your weekend was lovely and your week ahead is fantastic!
Your strawberries look great, and I am absolutely loving your 50 before 50 list. Those experiences sound fun, and easy, and celebratory, and I love the idea of finding 50 ways to enjoy and celebrate yourself, and not having it be all about striving. I don’t have such a list, but if I did, starting a blog, https://yearoffirsts.blog/, would have been one of them, so Check!
Hope you had a great weekend and your week is ahead is beautiful.
Thank you so much for your positivity about my list! I told my daughter (she’s 11) about it and at first she gave me a blank look but about 2 minutes later she was sending me a ton of ideas š It’s been really fun to pull together! And yes! Starting your blog has been such a profound and impactful activity! I love reading your words and reflections and hope you feel so proud of yourself for starting it and keeping at it! Hope your week is treating you wonderfully!
I have never been much for lists or challenges but I look forward to see what is on your list. No summer reading challenges for me either.. just read as much as I can find the time to.. which recently has not been a lot.
This is a perfect approach, Hena. The less pressure we can put on ourselves, the better. Hope your week is shaping up wonderfully!