The Traveling Mandolin

Tuesday, September 1, 2026

What I've Been Reading: August 2026

In August I prioritized reading more, dedicating time after my kid's bedtime to look through books, as well as reading while pushing on the swing at the park. Read some more great stuff this month!

What I've Been Reading: July 2026

It was another month where I didn't read a lot, but the books I did finish were so good. This first one is definitely gonna be one of my top five books of the year.

What I've Been Reading: June 2026

We were on vacation to visit family in the Northwest for half of June, and I didn't get any reading done then because taking care of a baby when their sleep schedule is completely messed up takes more time than you think. I did read one book this month, though...

Garden Update: Summer 2026

It's been a very long time since I've posted a garden update. Long-time followers of this blog might think that we don't do gardening anymore, since I don't write about it, either here or on social media. Truth be told, though, having a garden is such a way of life that I don't think that much about it— and when I'm actually out in the yard, I always forget to take pictures!

After letting the yard go completely fallow last year (since we had a tiny infant to care for), this year we've been working more deliberately in the garden. I still didn't plant many veggie crops, but have been working on adding more herbs and flowers.

Today I finally got out and took some photos… although you've got to keep in mind that we've been on vacation and haven't weeded at all in over two weeks. Also, I took these photos right before harvesting a bunch of garlic. Still, I thought it would be cool to document. Here is a tour of what our yard looks like nowadays!