I want to wish all of you who celebrate Thanksgiving a very happy time with your loved ones. For us Thanksgiving is usually quiet as we don’t have family in the country but we are very thankful to have time off this week to enjoy time together.

While this Thanksgiving may be a bit more free compared to last year, we are still in a pandemic and still need to be careful. We have been going out a bit more (still wearing our masks) and hopefully getting our boosters soon.

We’ve been trying some new recipes and if the weather is nice then we’re going to be going out in nature a bit more. We did start our week with a hike at McKinney Falls State park. What a wonderful place that is and only about 20 minutes from our home and we went back again yesterday. While my husband was taking pictures, I took a camping chair, blanket, coffee and sat by the falls to read and journal. It was so peaceful.

As far as shopping/Black Friday sales go, I’m most interested in supporting indie bookstores. So I’ll report back on any book shopping.

May you have a wonderful holiday with family and friends.

Hello Friends and happy Sunday. I’m looking forward to a quiet day but first I’m happy to be here for Sunday Salon and thank you to Deb at Readerbuzz for hosting the chat.

What I’m watching: We started watching a new show on Netflix, The Chestnut Man. This was a favorite read of mine a couple of years ago so I’m looking forward to see how it’s adapted for the screen. We’ve only watched the first episode but so far so good, and you know I love Scandinavian crime shows so I’m excited to watch a new one.

What I’m reading: I finished one book out of the four I’m reading for reading challenges this month. I read Henrietta’s War by Joyce Dennys for Novellas in November. I would like to read another but then again I a bit behind on my other challenge reads and would like to finish those before starting another book.

What I’m listening to: A non-challenge read I did start last week was The Perfect Family by Robyn Harding. A domestic thriller where four family members are each hiding a secret. I enjoyed Her Pretty Face several years ago and this one is quite good so far and perfect for my commute.

What’s cooking: It’s soup season! We love soups in the fall and winter and yesterday we used our Instant Pot and made butternut squash soup. It was delicious and best of all we had leftover so we don’t have to think about what was for lunch today. Just some bread as a side and we were set. If you have a favorite soup recipe please share.

What made me smile: Knowing I have a week off from work! Can’t wait to enjoy some downtime this week.

Poem for the week: It’s easy to say all of Mary Oliver’s poems but don’t these lines just speak to you?

“So come to the pond,
or the river of your imagination,
or the harbor of your longing,
and put your lips to the world.
And live,
your life.”

~Mornings at Blackwater

I hope you have a great weekend and can’t wait to hear what you’ve been up to. For those of you in the States, do you have big plans for Thanksgiving?