“Autumn is a second spring where every leaf becomes a flower.”

-Albert Camus

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As we transition from October to November and one holiday to the next, I’ve curated a list of helpful links to keep us engaged in our community while we prepare for the winter holiday season.

I hope you take a quick pause to reflect on what you want this next month to feel like and take action to create that for yourself and your family.

Next week, I’ll be back with a post on intentional living and an important question to ask ourselves. What is enough?

GARDEN

We’re just beginning to see the leaves changing color around the Hill Country here in Austin, Texas with the cool front that moved in mid-week.

If you swoon over the fall color change like I do, driving the couple of hours from Austin to the Lost Maples State Natural Area will reward you with stunning fall foliage. I love to think of the color change as one last celebration of joy and radiance by the trees before they drop into a period of renewal and rest for winter.

I’ve been in the garden a little less while I wait for newly planted seeds to emerge, but I did find a few moments in the rain to plant a couple of varieties of poppies for the spring. The advice I heard was to find a dreary, cold, and wet day in November, and I had one that was just perfect this week.

If you have a fall garden, remember to plant your seeds in succession to have a harvest of greens, lettuce, radishes, carrots, and beets throughout fall and winter. We are lucky here in Central Texas that we can grow vegetables throughout the fall and early winter.

Access to nutrient-dense, healthy vegetables is essential to our well-being. Unfortunately, not everyone has the resources, opportunity, or space to grow their own veggies. Organizations like the ones I’ve shared below help to bridge the gap in areas that are considered food deserts.

Food deserts are "areas that lack access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and other foods that make up the full range of a healthy diet" according to the CDC. If convenience stores are your grocery stores, there is a good chance you are in a food desert. Luckily there are community and nonprofit organizations that have been working to get delicious vegetables into the hands of those in our community who might not otherwise have access. Most of the organizations also include some form of education around leadership, growing a garden, cooking fresh vegetables, and living a healthy lifestyle.

Black Lives Veggies (Austin, TX)

Black Lives Veggies Growing a Movement

Urban Roots (Austin, TX)

Sustainable Food Center (Austin, TX)

Ron Finley (Los Angeles, California)

WELLNESS

The Art and Ritual of Rangoli

A new book called Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself by author Nedra Glover Tawwab just might help you get through the holidays with your sanity intact.

CREATIVITY

Downtime is creative time. Even if you’re working from home, you can give yourself breaks to walk in the garden, have coffee and stare out the window, go for a walk, or escape with an inspiring podcast or a story where you are lost in your imagination.

BOOKSHELF

An illustrated tour of North America’s diverse bookstores

Want to support a local bookstore while shopping online? Use the independent bookstore map on Bookshop.org. Choose your favorite bookstore to benefit from your purchases and then shop away!

This month, I listened to two incredible books narrated by one of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Acevedo. The characters in both books are so vibrant and relatable that it had me looking for reasons to run errands and do chores to listen to more of the stories unfold. I love when that happens. Both books are coming-of-age stories and Pride is a Pride and Prejudice re-telling. Rich in storytelling, the characters in both of these books will be in your heart and mind long after the last page.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Pride by Ibi Zoboi

I’ve gotten into the habit of reading about nature at night. It’s a calm way to end my day and explore the natural world before I drift off to sleep. Lately I’ve been reading about how climate change affects plants and animals and how they adapt in Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid: The Fraught and Fascinating Biology of Climate Change by Thor Hanson. It’s fascinating!

Books I’m reading: The Inheritance Games ($) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Shiner ($) by Amy Jo Burns, and The House on Vesper Sands ($) by Paraic O’Donnell (loving it so far!)

Books I’m listening to: Lost in the Never Woods ($) by Aiden Thomas

Books I’ve recently finished: Pride ($) by Ibi Zoboi, Parable of the Sower ($) by Octavia E. Butler, Clap When You Land ($) by Elizabeth Acevedo, The Personal Librarian ($) by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, Queen Sugar ($) by Natalie Baszile, The Cemetery Boys ($) by Aiden Thomas, and Address Unknown ($) by Katherine Kressman Taylor and Margot Livesey

What’s up next on my TBR (To Be Read) list:  Dear Miss Metropolitan ($) by Carolyn Ferrell, Harlem Shuffle ($) by Colson Whitehead, and Another Brooklyn ($) by Jacqueline Woodson, Cloud Cuckoo Land ($) by Anthony Doerr, Braiding Sweetgrass ($) by Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Mountains Sing ($) by Man Phan Que Nguyen

In case you are looking for book recommendations for kids (or yourself!), gift ideas for all ages or want to peek into my TBR List for 2021, head over to the 52 Seasons Book Shop on Bookshop.org.

COMMUNITY

The Barcelona Bicibus - In elementary school, my son rode in a bike train every Friday that went from our neighborhood across a major road to his school. We often rode our bikes at the front, back, or alongside the kids to make sure they made it to school safely. This story reminds me so much of that experience.

An Instagram feed with examples of microaggressions that asks, “What if European Americans were treated the same way that other races were?” (you’ll need Instagram for this link)

Why I’m cancelling my Amazon membership

When schools and families work together, the students reap the benefits

Unweaving the Whitewashed Legacy of the Cross-stitch

The Rise and Folly of the Refugee Cookbook

Help a park and find a great gift - Parks Project gift shop

Space tacos

Share with us your thoughts in the comments section below.

Enjoy your weekend :)

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." - Desmond Tutu

Thank you for taking time out of your day to read 52 Seasons. I’d love to hear your feedback and ideas so that we can grow together.

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Disclosure: ($) If you see this dollar symbol in a post, the link is an affiliate post. I will receive income or a discount on products if you purchase that item on Bookshop.org or anything on the Etsy, Campspot, Beauty by Earth, or Prana website using my link. Income from the products in these links helps me to keep this blog growing.