September 2020

All the Apple Drinks

I'm so pumped about it being apple season! Aren't you? I want to go pick apples (while social distancing), brew some yummy cider and really get into the fall spirit!

It turns out that Jordan's Skinny Syrups is selling a candy apple flavor this year. I'm super excited to try it out and see what I can make with it! 

How about you? Any apple cocktails up your sleeves? Tell us in the chat! 

Saving Outdoor Plants

Now that the weather is getting cooler, it's time to figure out what to do with all my outdoor plants. My aunt gave me a TON of them over the summer and I have no idea what to do with them all! I have a couple of safe spaces in my home for them, but in most spots a cat or dog would only kill them. 

I thought I could give some away as houseplants if I were able to get new containers, or I could make one of those Take One, Leave One plant shelves I keep seeing online.

What do you do to save your plants during the winter?

The Wicked + The Divine

My book club voted on reading a graphic novel that I'd already read and disliked this month, so I went with a different one: The Wicked + the Divine. Wow am I glad my library had it! It's so good!

It's about a pantheon of gods reborn every 90 years into the bodies of teenagers. They die after two years of this life only to be reborn again. It's full of drama, death, mystery and I love it. It's definitely for adults!

Have you read this series? I'm only on book four so there could be much more in store. Share your feelings about it in the chat!

Those Tough Decisions

I'd like to say I gave my companion cat of 9 years, who was my best friend, a dignified way out, but I didn't. I fought hard to keep her alive, even going as far as getting an appetite stimulant to get her to want to eat. It failed, as did her little body, and I regret not letting her do what she was telling me she needed to do in peace. Oh I wanted to save her, so much.

Halloween Animals

When Halloween comes around, we all have our special Halloween critters we love to display. For some it's all about the black cats and bats, while others dig dragons, werewolves and other creatures. 

But what makes an animal a Halloween animal? Is it the creature's history and lore? Many animals have spooky stories made up about them. Is it just the way it looks or sounds? Werewolves are obvious monsters here!

What Halloween animals do you like best? Why?

Poems of Your Childhood

Three words will often cause an enormous debate between poetry lovers: The Giving Tree. Yes, I said it! So many people love this book by Shel Silverstein about a tree that keeps on giving to a boy who grows up and keeps demanding more.

You can probably tell I'm not a fan of the poem! It's one of my least favorites, in fact, and I think it's a terrible example of friendship, especially given the genders invovled and lessons learned there. Women are often taught to give until we have nothing left, after all. That said, I enjoyed many of the writer's other poems.

A Single Bite of Fall

Many of us love dessert but only want to eat a bit at a time to stay healthy. So how do you manage this? Making tiny bite-sized desserts are a great way to do it. You can blend little pumpkin pie or apple pie bites up and mold them in a silicone mold for fun shapes, then put them in a jar to store in the freezer. Voila!

Best Weird Animals of Sci-Fi

Lovecraft Country is my favorite series of 2020, which is saying a lot given how much I loved The Witcher. I know there are only a few stories in the book so I have high hopes that they'll be able to continue for many more seasons. I already love most of the changes they've made. 

But the monsters! Oh the weird animals are the BEST, aren't they? If you've seen it, you know how Lovecraftian they all have been so far and I can't wait to see what other monsters are in store.

What are your favorite weird animals of the scifi realm? Share them in the chat!

Keto Pad Thai

Last night I tried the pre-packaged shirataki Thai noodles that are already prepared. You just heat and serve. Y'all... I about barfed those things up. Normally I'm very appreciative of all things keto but these tasted like noodles covered down in weird, watery ketchup, and the "meat" and veggies were TERRIBLE. I've liked the other shirataki products I've tried, including the plain noodles that I've made at home, so this was a real letdown, especially since Thai is my fave.

Unique Frog Products

As a culture, we have a lot of love for frogs. Many of us hail them as our favorite animals, and they can be found on everything from t-shirts to stickers and so forth. But there are some really interesting frog products on the market as well.

For example, have you heard of Frog Spit, the anti-fogging cleaner? There are frog-shaped items like alarm clocks, Magic 8 Balls and even shower heads, too!

What is the strangest froggy product you've ever found? Share it in the chat.

The Biden Plan

There's a video going around about what Joe Biden's plan to tackle Covid-19 is, and not only is this video so juvenile in its delivery that it sounds as if it's made for toddlers, but the plan itself is also so simple fourth graders could have come up with it. And yet... Trump hasn't done any of it.

Women to Support

Many women have to laugh when men insist that their votes have no basis on gender and they only vote for the best candidate. This is easily proven wrong when their candidates never make it to the actual ballot or receive the nomination, not to mention the lack of women in politcs.

But times are changing and more and more women are being elected in many areas. It's time for what the notorious RBG said about equality--for women to make up the entire Supreme Court, and then some! So which women candidates are you supporting? Who could use some help? Share them in the chat! 

Restaurants Pitch in to Help with School Lunches

Far too many kids rely on healthy food at school for their nutritional needs and will continue to do so as long as wages remain stagnant, housing remains inequitable and poverty exists. With Covid-19 occuring, more kids are in need of help than ever.

Seattle restaurants are pitching in with kid-friendly remote learning lunch options for takeout and delivery. Many of these are low-cost while others are on the pricier end. There are also organizations helping food insecure kids eat.

Who do you know serving kids during remote learning? Share your resources in the chat.

Favorite Fall Leaf Crafts

Celebrating fall with vibrant fall leaves is a favorite crafting activity of many people. From wreaths to mailbox displays and many other cool ideas, lots of crafters enjoy using fall leaves in their crafting!

Some like to use real leaves, but there are also synthetic ones available for cheap this time of year. You can use leaf scatter to create cool displays in your home, to decorate photo frames or vases or to even mod podge onto containers for a burst of color.

How do you craft with fall leaves? Tell us in the chat!

Anniversary of American Beauty

If you don't already own a copy of Grateful Dead's American Beauty, you're in luck! It's the 50th anniversary of the first release, which means that not only is there a new special edition available, but it has some cool extras.

One of the extras fans are most excited about is the release of a version of "Truckin'" that hasn't been heard yet! These special performances often make the re-releases even cooler and lots of fans like to collect them for that reason.

ARe you getting a copy? Tell us in the chat!

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