I’ve been observing the position of the sun’s light as it begins to shift in our backyard and tiptoes its way through the windows just a little more than the week before. The darkness creeps in a little earlier each night, but temperatures are still in the 90s and mosquitoes remind us that summer is not quite over yet here in Central Texas. I’m hopeful in anticipation though. When that first crisp morning arrives, so will my craving for soups, long hikes, and falling leaves!

“Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul”

-Emily Dickinson

Source: PoetryFoundation.org

I’m taking a quick break from writing on the blog, but I’ll be back on October 20, 2022 to share what I’m looking forward to this season. Hopefully, by the time I return with the next blog post, it will feel a little more like fall around Central Texas.

In the meantime, check out my past blog posts (mentioned at the end of this post) and follow me on Instagram for seasonal ideas and inspiration.

BOOKSHELF + COMMUNITY

It’s Banned Books Week! Let’s celebrate the freedom to read books we love! Receive 10% off all titles featured on this page through Saturday, Sept. 24th! Use code: BANNEDBOOKS22

I’ve put together a list of resources to learn more about Banned Books Week. I’d love to hear about your favorite banned book in the comments section below this post.

Banned and Challenged Books Website of the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom

How to report censorship according to the ALA

Unite Against Book Bans

How many banned books have you read?

Censorship by the numbers - source: ALA

Banned Book Suggestions from Little Free Library

Harper Collins Publishing’s List of Banned Books

Texas Leads the Nation in Banning Books From Its Schools (an article from Austin American Statesman)

You can also read my blog post on Texans For the Right to Read and my position on why books should not be banned in Season 35 (2022).

As I mentioned in last week’s post, I finished reading The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles. The book is a timely read for Banned Books Week as it discusses the book banning and library closures that occurred in France under Nazi occupation just before the US entered World War II.

Janet Skeslien Charles’s The Paris Library: the untold story of heroic librarians in Paris during World War II

List of libraries damaged during World War II

“The American Library in Paris was established in 1920 under the auspices of the American Library Association with a core collection of books and periodicals donated by American libraries to United States armed forces personnel serving their allies in World War I. The Library has since grown into the largest English-language lending library on the European continent.” (source: The American Library in Paris website)

Another piece of history that I found interesting from the book was the adoption of The Dewey Decimal system by The American Library in Paris. The Dewey Decimal system has its roots in the United States. This seemingly harmless organization system for library books has racism at its foundation. Changes are being made (albeit slowly) to create a system that is more inclusive.

Something is Rotten in the Dewey Decimal System

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month! Receive 20% off titles listed in this link: Bookshop.org or the book list below. Enter the code "HispanicHeritage” at checkout. *Sale ends Sunday, October 15th at 11:59pm PST

From Bookshop’s website: ”Join us on October 5th at 7pm EST/4pm PST for a virtual Town Hall with Latinx bookstore owners from Cafe Con Libros, Libelula, La Revo Books, and Whose Books. A moderated conversation by Ashley K Stoyanov Ojeda from The Mujerista, we’ll discuss with the store owners’ their experience being small business owners, challenges, lessons learned, and more!”

Watch The Latino Experience, Mariposas del Campo, and The Migrant Kitchen: Puerto Rico: Food Sovereignty on PBS to learn more about Latinx culture and history.

Latinx-owned Etsy shops -Join Etsy in celebrating the culture and creativity of Hispanic, Latino, Latina, and Latinx makers.

HOME + TRAVEL

I’m continuing to declutter around the house and in my closet. I tried on literally everything in my closet then donated some of the items, put a few up for sale online, and wrote down anything that needed to be replaced or added. While I may not have pared down to the 10-item wardrobe idea from a video I shared last week, I’m feeling really good about continuing to create a smaller capsule-style wardrobe. Many of the videos I’ve watched are based in climates with temperatures that vary far less than we have here in Central Texas.

I found this helpful ebook in case you are looking for ways to declutter.

A good travel bag can make all the difference. We love the Patagonia Black Hole Duffel! My husband and I have owned ours for years, and we just purchased another one for our son for his upcoming trip. We love the 55L versions for the ability to put it in an overhead bin on the plane plus we can’t overload it with more than we can carry! Our support of Patagonia makes us feel even better when we read the recent story about the founder turning the company into a non-profit that directly supports our planet.

GARDEN + NATURE

“The Gross National Product (GDP) measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country. It measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile, and it can tell us everything about America - except whether we are proud to be Americans.”

-Robert Kennedy on BrainyQuote.com

When will we stop seeing our forests as dollar signs (especially forests in communities where we don’t reside)? Investing in Bhutan’s forests for a sustainable future

Wendell Berry’s latest book, The Need to Be Whole: The Need to Be Whole: Patriotism and the History of Prejudice, will be released on October 4, 2022.

“The Need to Be Whole continues the work he began in The Hidden Wound (1970) and The Unsettling of America (1977), demanding a careful exploration of this hard, shared truth: The wealth of the mighty few governing this nation has been built on the unpaid labor of others.Without historical understanding of this practice of dispossession--the displacement of Native peoples, the destruction of both the land and land-based communities, ongoing racial division--we are doomed to continue industrialism's assault on both the natural world and every sacred American ideal.” -review on Bookshop.org

While I wait on cooler temperatures to arrive in Austin, I’m admiring the tiny tomatillo lanterns hanging from our plants as they try to withstand the 99 degree temperatures.

While it may be too hot for asters and mums out in the sun right now, I’m taking a chance and planting them in the shade. I’d love to add marigolds for fall color to the garden soon. I was inspired a few years ago to create a grouping of marigolds after seeing the beautiful display at Arnosky Farms in Blanco, Texas (marigolds are also mentioned in Season 26 and Season 42 of last year).

In the ice storm of 2021 we lost our amazing lemon tree that produced 100 or more Meyer lemons every year! When we moved to our new house last year, I knew that I would want to grow another micro orchard.

So far I’ve purchased a patio Arbequina olive tree in honor of the 10-year-old (productive!) olive tree at our old house that was also taken to the ground by the ice storm. Keeping the olive tree company is a ‘Violette de Bordeaux’ patio fig tree. This particular fig tree is a variety from Spain that produces jet-black figs even in a pot.

I decided to begin my tiny citrus orchard with a Persian Lime tree and a Calmondin tree. Calmondins are little citrus wonders that are a cross between a tangerine/Satsuma/mandarin and a kumquat. They sounded so delicious that I couldn’t pass up a chance to grow a Calmondin tree.

I will need to pinch the blossoms for the first two years to help with root growth and because Texas requires citrus to be sprayed with a pesticide to deter citrus disease. The pesticide stays in the plant for two years, so you’re safe to eat the fruit after 2 years. I will need to baby the citrus plants by bringing them inside until they are large enough to plant. We did everything from wrapping our citrus trees with holidays lights to building a greenhouse around them in the past! Placing the trees inside next to a sunny window in the living room will bring some welcome life inside during the winter months.

Citrus Varieties for Central Texas - The Austin Common

A Guide to Growing Citrus - The Natural Gardener

Butterflies are beginning to migrate. You can watch their migration here. If you’d like to attract fall butterflies and moths to your yard, try planting native flowering plants in groups of similar colors to make it worth their effort. Butterflies are attracted to areas where they can visit several plants at once. Rue is also a great addition to the garden as it provides a host for swallowtail butterfly eggs.

You can help monarch butterflies by reporting milkweed or monarch sightings on the Texas Parks & Wildlife website or planting milkweed and other butterfly-friendly plants in your own yard. For the Central Texas eco-region, Texas Parks & Wildlife recommends planting antelope horn milkweed, green antelope horn milkweed, and zizotes milkweed. Milkweed can sometimes be difficult to locate and sometimes tricky to transplant. I found a few options for milkweed transplants and milkweed seeds on Etsy.

Texas Butterfly identification

What are “super” generation butterflies? Butterflies that have to make the long migration from the Northern United States to Mexico, like the monarch, have to be more robust. I remember learning about “super” generation butterflies after watching Flight of the Butterflies Documentary at the IMAX here in Austin around the film’s release in 2012.

WELLNESS + CREATIVITY

I’ve been noticing several articles, talks, and mentions of friendships lately. I’m wondering if the last few years have us all realigning or reassessing our friendships, getting out more and making new friends, or just looking for ways to find more ways to reach out to old friends. I even found that the two books I finished recently (The Paris Library and The Island of Sea Women on audiobook) had themes of lifelong friendship and the ways that we can choose to forgive and grow together as friends.

Below are a few resources I’ve found helpful in the last few weeks.

(You can also find the audiobook version here on Libro.fm)

Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda: A hilarious celebration of lifelong female friendship - TED talk (*link has sound)

How to Connect with Friends More Regularly on The Lazy Genius Podcast

Intentional Friendships - an article from YES Magazine

“Why is no one ever the right amount of whelmed?”

(as seen on the El Arroyo sign in downtown Austin this week)

Are you an HSP? 21 Signs That You’re a Highly Sensitive Person

Why HSPs feel information-overload more acutely than most

Why HSPs use alcohol to turn off being sensitive

I can’t wait for this book to come out in early 2023. I’m adding it to my wish list now!

When I feel emotional or informational overload, I immediately move myself out into nature or immerse myself in music. Here are a few recent playlists I’ve added to my Spotify rotation.

The Austin City Limits Music Festival is almost here! Preview the bands coming to Austin on this ACL Playlist on Spotify.

While I’m on break, check out Season 39, Season 40, Season 41 and Season 42 from 2021. I’ll return with a new blog post on October 20, 2022. See you back here in a few weeks.

Enjoy your weekend!

What’s my simple joy this week?

Watching the butterflies fluttering all around our backyard and neighborhood as they make their migration south to Mexico (with many more to come in the next few weeks).

I’d love to hear about your simple joys in life right now and what you’d like to see in future blog posts. Please share in the comments below this post.

I read once that if there is something that you want to do, but you're not sure how to get there, just begin.

Writing blog posts for 52 Seasons is a creative journey into the expressions that come from my heart: writing, photography, tending a garden, immersing myself in nature, reading stories from voices that need to be heard and sharing them with others, keeping a home, being an advocate for education and basic human rights, and sharing resources with others.

Get involved in your community. VOTE. Speak out. Volunteer. One small action can create momentum for change.