A Few Things to Tell You Vol. 7
Donate to your food bank! And so many links
Well, hello there ~ it’s Saturday again!
MOST IMPORTANT THING TODAY: If have the means to do so, please take a moment to donate to your local food pantry or Feed America. And if you are one of the many Americans whose SNAP benefits are ending / not ending / delayed / it has been changing by the minute over the past day, my heart is breaking for you and everyone who utilizes this crucial benefit. I donated to my local food pantry this week, WAFER, and although my husband claims this is just a drop in an ocean, DAMN IT I DID SOMETHING.
If by some miracle, things have changed for the better between the time I went to bed Friday night and you receive this on Saturday morning ~ HALLELUJAH! But also? Food pantries still need you all the time ~ consider how you can help even not in times of crisis. And of course, this is not a YOU problem or a ME problem or an US problem, this is a governmental structural issue that must be fixed ~ 42 million people should not have to rely on food pantries funded by our donations. FIX IT DAMNIT!
And now, what’s on the schedule for this weekend? NOTHING!
Last weekend was so incredibly full of love and family and doing ~ Oma’s Celebration of Life gathering and all of the surrounding family time truly filled me up and soothed my soul. And now this weekend is a home weekend again, as I prepare for a very full week ahead. I rest and recharge and then GO and repeat!
Last week I read two excellent young adult books that highlight Native identity.
Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley is my favorite of her work yet ~ I was absolutely riveted by the intrigue and mystery and simply could not guess where everything was leading. This is connected to The Firekeeper’s Daughter and Warrior Girl Unearthed, but can definitely be read as a standalone.
Right after Sisters in the Wind I dug into my ARC of Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories that I got at ALA in June (whoops, I’m a bit late!) and was kicking myself for waiting so long to read this story collection! It has such a unique concept and a wide variety of voices ~ I loved it.
In an article that Michelle Martin shared this week (see link below!), a strong case was made for leaving one’s house and being in community with other humans. And, YES. I’m so proud of the fact that I attended a Books & Banter discussion group at my small town public library on Monday night AND attended an in-studio restorative yoga class on Wednesday night. Both were delightful.
At at a time when society seems ready to collapse and all news is full of despair, spending time in community connecting with others helps.
Some Random Tidbits
HOORAY!! Another of my very favorite creators left Substack!
I love every edition of Article Club but this week’s edition about the attack on public education was stellar.
In praise of old houses. I live in a VERY old one that may be crumbling a bit (lot?), but damn the stone block foundation and basement walls are cool.
“A single data center can use as much power as the city of Philadelphia.” From the newsletter interview about this New Yorker article.
I shared the Op Ed “Why Even Basic AI Use is Bad for Students” with well, A LOT OF PEOPLE, including the AI stakeholders at my job. We messed up horribly with kids and tech over the past 15ish years, let’s try not to do it again? (NYT gift link)
Also, Wisconsin just finally officially passed a school cell phones law - AMEN! My school was already phone free, but this will make it a hell of a lot easier for districts to pull the plug when the parents are the ones protesting the moves. The dissent from some is that the rule is too broad, but I truly believe that a law will help justify tightening even existing policies, and take the policies from caddies in each classroom to an out and out ban (locked up) as in my school.
A short but impactful piece from Alia Khan includes this: “Which means that getting your fear of death under control is one of the keys to a peaceful mind, and a peaceful life.” Truth, and so very hard.
I have been trying very very hard to limit my screen time in the evening, but Michelle Martin had SO MANY amazing links on Tuesday that I just couldn’t help myself in clicking and reading and clicking and reading and repeat.
When in Madison last Sunday, my daughter and I went to a delightful yarn shop / cafe and a wonderful quilt / fabric store. I will definitely return to both of these places on future visits!
Until next weekend … please take care, and try to reach out to someone who might need you this week ♡
Thanks for stopping by!
