Record-Breaking
On the highs today. 74 degrees and sunny. I didn’t really believe it, so in the morning I put on a pair of tights and by the afternoon, regretted it. Photo...
Snow
On the known unknowns. Hi, everybody! Over here at Enthusiasms, Inc. we are simply hanging on by a thread this week. (Walking around the house muttering this...
Cleaning the Fridge
On cruel things. Death comes for someone it shouldn’t have. How is it not a mistake? It’s the kind of stuff that makes everything else feel like a waste....
Lifting Weights
On maintenance. How is it I haven’t written about this yet? Four years ago now, I started lifting weights and I’ve kept at it—barring the occasional illness...
Melting
On hope. I read somewhere that this is the coldest winter we’ve had in decades; I certainly can’t recall another year, since 2015, that the snow stuck around...
Phlegm
On coughing it up. Is it weird I kind of like the way it tastes?, I asked my husband, letting a freshly hawked-up bit of mucus rest in my mouth like some...
Nosebleed
On chaos. There it was, in the morning: blood smeared on the bathroom light switch from when I’d stumbled in after hurrying out of bed. Timmy’s nosebleed...
Plastic Skeleton
On levity. Things remain mind-bendingly awful. Unless you’ve just now woken up from a coma that began in, I don’t know, let’s say 2013???, I don’t need to...
Jury Duty
On showing up. In the completely silent room, my book slid off my lap and landed on the floor with a sudden thwack. The person beside me jumped in their seat...
FUCK ICE
I had something in the works for this, the first Enthusiasm of the year, and then the year happened and it didn’t feel like the right words anymore. A friend...
Enthusiasms 2025, A Playlist
A year in songs. This little end-of-year missive is coming in just under the wire—blame our family bout of norovirus over the holidays for delays in, well,...
Walking Across the Fens
This is the last official Enthusiasms of 2025! [weakly] we made it. Stay tuned for the 2025 Enthusiasms playlist next week, and see you for more musings on...
Headwinds
On the conditions. It wasn’t so bad, I said, though my fingertips had gone numb in my mittens. There was just one patch of ice, a puddle from the weekend’s...
$20 Turkey-shaped Mylar Balloon
On value. It kept gently whacking me in the face, clipped as it was to the front of the cart. We walked circles around the Shaw’s, looking for stuff they...
Finding a Lip Balm in the Pocket of a Coat You Haven’t Worn Since Last Winter (copy)
On seasons. Bon vendredi fou á tous. Enthusiasms is horizontal on the couch, napping while the baby (and my mom and sister) naps. Meanwhile, here’s one from...
Putting on Your Mittens
On warmth. My son will put his hand out flat, fingers all held together, and let me slip his gloves on, one and then the other. I put them on backward once,...
Eggplant Parm
On lunch. The sun wasn't doing much against the cold despite being bright enough, reflecting off the pavement and the nearby buildings, to leave me squinting...
Quaker Meeting
On worship. I’d told my therapist earlier this year that I’d had a seemingly random desire to attend a Quaker meeting. Maybe, I joked, as a parent, most of...
Pumpkin Carving
On banishing the dark. It’s messy work, scooping handful after handful of guts ‘till the whole thing’s hollowed out. Years ago, I’d carve pumpkins in my...
Antiques Roadshow UK
On digging up the past. I prefer the British version—both the US and UK are available to play, for free, 24/7 on our TV and it is my go-to when I want to...
