Most of the books I read this summer were just OK. There were a few that were interesting, or had good descriptions, but nothing that set me back on my heels. When I read one that made me laugh out loud the whole way through it, I had to mention it here.
I spent my childhood going on camping trips. In my memory, we went several times every summer. The cool nights, the many rainy afternoons spent in our tents reading books or playing cards, and peering out the window of the camper to see a skunk making its way across the campsite loom large in recollection.
As an adult, every camping trip I’ve taken until now has been with my parents. They’ve provided an extra tent for our growing family, blankets when someone forgot a sleeping bag, and logistical support with meals. I’ve never had to fully plan and execute a trip by myself.
Then, friends of our invited us to go camping with them this summer. We’re now quickly approaching the weekend in question, and at 40, I’m making my first solo camping trip with my family, but without my parents.
So, remember when I expressed fear that my recent visits to the naturopath would result in me having to give up every food I love?
Recently I was on social media and saw a smiling woman modeling some clothing she’d made. The fabric was a fantastic print and she looked good.
Then I read her caption. It was a litany of all the ways the thing she’d made didn’t fit right, and that she’d recently taken it apart to make it into something else.
When this post goes live, God willing, I’ll be in 24-hour quarantine at a hotel in Kigali, Rwanda. The Chaplain and I, with my parents’ help, are getting away together for the first time since the pandemic.
We’ll be staying with a friend once we’re out of quarantine, so other than having a couple of ideas about what I want to do while I’m there (fabric shopping, lots of outdoor time, and maybe a visit to the library and the Shokola Storytellers Cafe), the pressure is off for planning activities during the trip. Instead of reading the guide books I got out of the library, I focused on reading books by authors from the region.
Here are two I wanted to share.
