What's That You Ask? My Friday W's

      On Fridays I've tried a new thing to get some discussion going by sharing the who, what, why, when, and where's of my life. I hope you play too by adding your thoughts in the comments. Besides the WORLD, what other w's are on my brain this Friday?

What's top of mind: I can't help but be pulled in a to the aftermath of the train wreck of a debate, if one could call a constant interruption, no decorum, fiasco a debate. I have to laugh, again, in a no hope for humans kind of way, at the positive spin  Trumps supporters have put on it. At least Biden's camp knows it was a train wreck. Though quite frankly, if more people would have told Trump to shut up over the last four years, life might be different for all of us now. 

Where I've been: Since last Friday's post I've probably had the most out of my home neighborhood time collectively since March. I ran errands and bought a few pieces of fall décor, we've met up with friend in their garage for drinks, and stopped by my sisters-also in her garage, where several were playing cards, and an evening fire. We went to outdoor church on Sunday and to cap off my excitement, I spent nearly five hours in the office after my flu shot working on Monday!

Where I'm going: I'm really getting brave and rsvp'd the opportunity to attend a MN Bloggers Bash  pre-opening hours, socially distanced, trip to the new grand opening of Scheels, a shopping and entertainment venue. From 7:30-9:30 is the private event, with limited tickets. I guess most of the entertainment  areas are still closed. I'll do a review next week. I didn't do the fall Bachman's, though would have liked to, and it sounded as safe if not more so, than doing my grocery shopping. My daughter is joining me, and if we don't feel  comfortable with the set-up, we don't need to stay. Sunday we are doing a long drive to have a socially distanced visit with  our youngest. Then, it's off to enjoy a mostly unplugged week. 

What I'm watching: I got a bit bored watching too many episodes of Call the Midwife, so took a break and found an older series called Moving On through Brit Box. Each show, and I guess there is perhaps nine series, is its own storyline of a situation faced by the characters, that results in them moving on from a hardship, a relationship-or acceptance of a relationship, a job, a self doubt, or a grudge. I've enjoyed the few episodes I've seen so far including one on overcoming paralyzing fear and another about mature love and xenophobia and racism. 

What I'm reading: Nothing for just pleasure this past week. I will remedy that in the coming week. I decided I am going to bring along a few summer beach reads, even though it is fall. I do not want anything heavy in my head. I have read the screenplay my daughter and friend wrote-have some more feedback for them, but overall enjoyed it. Here is the link to the book her friend wrote last winter from which the screen play is derived, Wanders Pass, if you have an interest in checking it out or ordering. I believe there is a free kindle download. I also read the bylaws for my daughter and nieces non-profit start-up, doing some comparing to other examples to make sure they did not miss anything. 

What I'm listening to:  I continue to stream, though this week I was loaded with meetings, BBC World Service during the day. Also, while technically it is on the screen, I'm usually doing something else so really only listening to episodes of Pointless. Admittedly, pretty much nothing in British pop culture means a thing to me, but I like the twist on traditional trivia, where the players need to answer correctly, but with the most obscure correct answer, aiming for  0 out of 100 people answering the same way, a pointless correct answer. There's many episodes on YouTube.

What I'm eating: I've been on a bit of a  pub/bar/grill food meal plan lately. I guess I miss the experience of grabbing a beer and casual good food more than I admit. Well, I admit it all the time. DH suggested burgers last night and I forgot to specifically mention hamburger buns when he ran to Kwik Trip for milk, bread, and bananas (and he got a hot food treat of some sort). While I did not have pumpernickel or rye bread, the multi grain worked just as well and I made patty melts. We still have a ton of onions so i fried up nearly a whole one, and used the last of a chunk of cheddar, and made air fryer fires with the last three baking potatoes. Voila-a meal as good as our local bar and grill. For those not familiar with a patty melt, it's basically a cheese burger crossed with a grilled cheese, smothered in fried onions. 

Who I'm paying attention to: I'm paying attention to our local and neighboring states public health reports. Minnesota seems to be doing much better case wise and hospitalization wise per capita, than our neighbors, all whom took less restrictive measures or none at all until mid to late summer. That said, Minnesota can't be complacent as our death counts exceed 2,000 and we are heading into  the cold and flu season. My sisters who host Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve officially  put the word out that the big family gatherings will be on hold this years, though of course that was expected. I don't want to be the ones to raise either holiday with DH's family, though all gathered, there are more than 17 of us now. 

What I'm planning:  Read below! Saturday afternoon I need to make a list for what we need to bring as even though we're only an hour away, I don't want us making unnecessary trips home. I plan to make pumpkin bread to bring to our daughter, and I will iron embroidery patterns on a few dishtowels to bring with me for a nice activity while sitting on the deck. We'll see how far I can get on potential gifts.

     In approximately 10 hours from when I hit publish, I'll be on vacation! I really have the travel bug, but know that's just not the world we live in. We are beyond fortunate that we have a place to escape to, where WiFi and phone service is spotty and we can truly unplug, with the exception of a stack of DVD's for DH and my Nook. Well, maybe I'll get a blog post or two in as well, but it will look different next week. DH still works tomorrow, so his time off starts Sunday. What are some of your W's this week?