Weekly Good Things 2024 Week 33 + My End of Summer Intentions
End of Summer Intentions and making the most of the season
Hello! Hello! Welcome to another weekly episode of Good Things where I give you a peek into my everyday life during the week, and roundup my good links, ideas, books, and more.
My grandmother Sterra would have turned 100 this weekend.
The woman knew how to *live* and made the most of every moment of her 93 years.
I often think of her last days as sticking the finish: she drove the girls to Symphony in the Cadillac, took a fitness class, got a fresh pedicure, and left us.
Sterra (we called her Nanny Sterra) knew how to make the most of summer.
Every weekend sheād pack up the family to drive from Massachusetts up to Maine, her trademark green cooler stocked with Gazpacho, snacks. The biscuit order would be waiting at Bernardās when they got up to Ogunquit.
She was the consummate host: always knowing when to feed people (the answer is at all times), Red Sox on the TV, book (and a vodka) in hand.
She was also an intentional grandparent: each of us had a deep (and different) relationship with her, and she prioritized making one on one time with each of us really special and individual.
And she was a caring friend: deep, lifelong friendships with her friends, and known for bringing people together, noticing people on the sidelines, and finding ways for people to connect.
I feel lucky that I had a great role model for living a full and joyful life.
End of Summer Intentions:
Each month I sit down and write out a list of intentions for the month ahead. Itās not exactly a to-do list, more like an āoptionsā list. Place-holders also help me make space for more exciting adventures! Many of my intentions remain the same month to month, but I try to pick out a few new things regularly!
How do I want to feel this month? Iām making the most of the end of summer! An end of summer downshift to get in some deep relaxation before starting revving up in fall. Iām not a naturally ārelaxedā person - so I have to really consciously think about what relaxation means to me.
Updates to this process:
In July I had great success by actually PRINTING out my list and posting on my cork board.
Pre-scheduling. Iāve been finding pockets of time to pre-schedule things where I can. That said, I donāt pre-schedule everything because I need the flexibility energy wise to opt-out when Iām overloaded, and canāt always predict my energy needs.
Out and About
Texas! ā¢ My feet in the ocean, and assorted beach finds (rocks, shells) ā¢ Time on a BOAT ā¢ An art class ā¢ A cooking class ā¢ A visit to a Trustees property ā¢Ā Golf at Commonwealth ā¢Ā A movie in the theater ā¢Ā Monthly Boston dinner with my friend Kathy ā¢ Monthly family dinner out with my mom and brother ā¢ Fishing (I think Iāll manage to sneak this in Maine on the dock) ā¢ Kindle by a pool (any pool!) ā¢ a guided tour of something!
Good Eats
Rancho Gordo Bean Club Shipment ā¢Ā Burlap and Barrel Spice Club Shipment ā¢Ā Melon season (Hwachae) ā¢Ā revisit your 2024 kitchen resolutions ā¢Ā NOVELTY! ā¢Ā Matcha Soft Serve ā¢ texturally exciting desserts ā¢ chewy noodles
Some Meal Ideas:
Inspiration: See Mark Bittmanās 2007 Summer 101 dishes in 10 minutes, and Second Lunch July Eats, Nigel Slater Summer
Texas: Breakfast Kolaches from the Kolache Shoppe ā¢Ā a meal at Pondicheri ā¢Ā a meal while staring at Galveston Bay in Kemah
Seafood: Grilled fish ā¢ Cod and chips, whole belly fried clams (either Clam Box or Bobās Clam Hut), whole lobster (Market Basket?). Steamers. Next five lobster rolls: Row34, Pauliās, that one down towards the cape. Turkish green plum fish. Mackerel in vinaigrette with beets.
Rice bowls with: egg. (And working my way through a tasting of assorted microwave rice from HMart - I love having single portion very quick cook rice or noodles on hand)
Recipes: Gazpacho. Texas Sheet Cake from the HEB box. Smashed cucumber salad (Liyuenās recipe that my mom has clipped)
America: a Maple Creemee (Mommaās Grocery + Wine). Pickle juice marinated grilled chicken thighs. Hot dogs and baked beans. Blueberry Muffins. Grill some Copper River salmon. Pizzi farm soft serve.
Noodle things: More Cold Korean noodles (Naengmyeon). Ravioli with corn. Annieās mac and cheese with lobster, tomato, sherry.
Vegetables I want to eat: corn, tomato, zucchini, green beans, new potatoes, fennel, green beans. Turkish fried zucchini and eggplant. All of the cucumbers.
Fruits: melon season. (Not ready for apples.)
Sauces: more pesto, salsas, green olive pesto.
Treats: Soft serve. Dole Whip. Berryline FroYo. Lizzyās Ice Cream. General ice cream quest. Sour cherry sorbet. Lemon sorbet. Weird JP Licks flavors. (Sour sorbet is my jam. I want it tart.)
Drinks: Ayran. Lemon yakult slush. Thai Iced Tea. Limeade. A rum gum (but probably non-alcoholic, so lots of citrusyā¦)
Out: Dim sum. Bar Vlaha. Pizzi Farm. Annaās Big Jim (a sandwich at Formaggio). Formaggio Barbecue. Oleana.
What are you looking forward to eating this month? Iād love to add to the list!
Self Care
Self-Care Short List (new) ā¢ Massage as a health benefit not a luxury ā¢ Weekly Manicure ā¢ Acupuncture to work on De Quervains (this has *definitely* been helping) ā¢ Eye Masks in the fridge in the morning ā¢ Float Spa (want to test Float and The Indoor Oasis) ā¢ Scalp treatment (either at SKA or Fashion Point)
Move
Lift ā Weekly Lifting 2x at home with lifting schedule printed out, 1/week at gym - continue working on Hip Thrusts ā¢ CRAW ā¢ Finish out GVRAT! (200 miles goal - run 3 miles at least 3 times a week ā¢ Golf ā¢ Kayak ā¢ can you fit in a hike?
Update Lists
Inputs List (Podcasts, Reading, Watching) ā¢ Recipes to Cook / Letās Eat Spreadsheet ā¢ Cooking Projects 2024 ā¢ Bean of the Week ā¢ Hobonichi Monthly Review 2024 (been doing great at this!) ā¢ Placeholders for āOnce in a Lifetime monthly activitiesā
Create
Daily *VIDEOS* for my video challenge practicing my skills from my Ultraspeaking class ā¢ Daily Hobonichi Cousin (Food, Gratitude, Mood) ā¢ 2024 Calendar ā¢ Sketch in Sketchbook ā¢ Watercolor ā¢ Shortlist of new art projects to try: botanical drawing? oil pastels? ā¢ a class at New Art Center or Shepherd Maudsleigh
Home
Tend to the garden ā¢ List 5 things to giveaway on Buy Nothing ā¢ wash dog beds ā¢ tidy up downstairs entrance ā¢ go through clothing drawers for a clear out ā¢ Short list for my āLife Binderā
Inputs
Update: podcast to listen list (WIP) ā¢ Update Movie List ā¢ Update Summer Reading List: Tess of the Emerald Sea, Romantasy, Man Booker long list ā¢ Watch: House of the Dragon season 2 (Max), Dr. Who (Disney+), The Garden Chronicles (Max), Martha Gardens and Martha Cooks on the Roku Channel, The Boys. ā¢ Movies: Deadpool and Wolverine (it was great)
Connect more Deeply with my Humans:
Annual Summer Texas Trip ā¢ Time spent in Ogunquit Maine with family ā¢ friend calls on my walks ā¢ initiate texts and love to friends (this is hard for me!) ā¢ Dog Walks with Friends ā¢ Porch Sitting Season ā¢ Plan fall travel ā¢ Plan fall ālearn with friendsā
The Weekly Meal Plan:
Why do I do this? Iāll note, my meal plans tend to be more of a directional support for me than what I actually end up eating in my week. (I think a lot of people who do meal planning feel obligated to actually eat the things they come with rather than just using as a placeholder/inspiration. I do not feel so constricted.)
š Good Eats from this Past Week: I went to HMart and got a bunch of things I was craving including a Japanese frozen dessert with adzuki bean and soft mochi. Dinners: A chirashi bowl. Tahini noodles with shallot and lemon marinated chicken and leftover cucumbers. Pesto chicken, grated cucumbers, yogurt, lemon, rice. Shrimp and cucumber rice bowl with silken tofu.
āļø Every week I spend some time working on my "Letās Eatā kitchen organization spreadsheet. This week Iāve been updating my āwhat to eat when you have zero energy to cook and can only assembleā list, which includes frozen chicken fillets, kebabs, rice bowls, pre-cooked noodles on repeat.
Weekend prep: None!
Monday: Hwachae
Tuesday: Chicken masala chili mac, biscuits
Wednesday: Pork chop rice bowl with a tomato basil salad (2020 redux)
Thursday: Anything that needs to be eaten before it dies in the fridge
Friday: Texas weekend commences!
Lunch Options: Lamb vindaloo with yogurt. Tinned fish, cucumber salad. Coconut chickpea curry.š¦ A lobster roll off the summer list.
Snacks: Watermelon.Yogurt and berries. Cheese sticks. Turkey Chomps. Trader Joeās High Fiber cereal and milk. (Something about lightly sweetened sticks..)
Treat options: Trader Joeās Brownie Coffee Ice Cream Sandwiches. Apple Tartines. Key Lime Pie. Trader Joeās SāMores in the freezer section. Popsicles. Dark Chocolate covered pistachios. (Still want to grab a new Flour Bakery corn muffin)
What are you eating this week?
Previous Years:
Something I really enjoy doing is flipping back in my journal or my blog to the week of the year over the past several years. When I write it out in a list like this, it feels like a nice accomplishment!
Observing the data this week: Iām happy in nature!
2020: Good Things, Week 33 (near the end of my first 1270 mile adventure!)
2012: Annaās Big Jim
2011: An Extravagant Hunger
2010: Summer Reads: Sharkās Fin and Sichuan Pepper
Thatās all for now! Hope you have a great week!
xo, Sam
PS: Click the heart if you enjoyed this this week!