Fitz acts as our first warning of a coming chill in the air, and he's been wearing his sweaters both indoors and out for several weeks. It's undeniably fall.
In a normal year there would be the bittersweet combination of bidding a farewell to summertime and looking forward to the cozy aspects of cooler weather. Except it's 2020. Instead, the sense of dread that I felt throughout recent months of a local resurgence in COVID cases seems to be at hand, with the rate of positive tests in NY above 3% on September 29th, the first time since June after having been below 1% for some time. Dread paired with the dying light of summer is a terrible combination, and it's hard to plan under these circumstances. I had some trouble thinking of things to add to my October list, and landed on the below by trying to focus only on the short term.
Mail in my ballot & get a flu shot
We received our mail-in ballots this week and are sending them back now in the hopes they will be counted well before Election Day to decrease the strain on the USPS and vote counting efforts. I hope you have already made your plan to vote as well, and if you are planning to vote by mail, I encourage you to request your ballot as soon as possible. We requested ours on September 9th and they didn't arrive until September 28th, so give yourself plenty of time to both receive and return it.
I'm also getting a flu shot next week on my next OB visit. This hasn't been a consistent practice for me over the years. I got one last year because it was made very convenient for me by a station that was set up outside the cafeteria at my office. Now, I'm going to be more consistent with getting these shots each flu season. To me, there really isn't a good reason not to.
The smells of fall at home
I love fall in New York City and I'm bringing the flavors and smells of the season into the home. I'm all stocked up on chai tea, apple cider, apples, honey, and figs (from Kev's parents' backyard). Earlier this week, I made a batch of cornbread that we're still enjoying now. I also ordered the above pictured candle from a fellow Etsy seller, Sweet Water Decor, and it's absolutely perfect for the season. Apples, berries, and orange notes with a hint of spice. I love the moody amber glass jar it comes in as well.
Studio and home production goals
Here come the final days of holiday 2020 prep, including churning out pieces for holiday wholesale orders. After spending last month exploring new vase forms in porcelain, I'm going back to mostly white stoneware and speckle clay for hand-building at home in October. A newly sculpted Aleta Vase in white stoneware is pictured above as it dries - I'm working on three of these this week.
I've enjoyed the alternating on/off rhythm of these past several months, cycling between high production of existing designs and slower creation of new pieces. I imagine October and November will be an extended period of high production for me, but I look forward to slowing down again after the holiday rush. By then, I might be forced to ease up anyway by the growing baby and third trimester physical changes.
Baby shower planning
We've decided to have our baby shower in early November, perhaps splitting our Zoom sessions up so that it doesn't get too chaotic. It's amazing to me that people still find ways to celebrate, to carry on with weddings and parties during the pandemic, and I guess now we'll be a part of that. I'm not particularly looking forward to having to plan a shower, but I am appreciative that it forces us to really think about what we'll need as we compile our registry, and to come up with creative ways that could make a virtual party smoother and less boring for attendees. Coming up with assignments for ourselves could be a nice distraction, and ultimately I know it will be lovely to have family and friends gather for a short time in any capacity.
The Hudson Valley
Kev and I have scheduled a weekday off from work this month to squeeze in a hike and a day trip to Cold Spring, NY. The Hudson Valley is beautiful this time of year, and I'm looking forward to getting out into nature, then strolling through the streets in town as a little getaway.