This moon cycle featured a lot of movement. I think it was the best month since I’ve been back from Europe. Honestly, one of the best months in the last few years.
We did a ton of work on the camper in the early days, finishing the insulation, floor, and starting cabinets. We put up solar panels, got all the electrical in place, and put in the battery, fridge, and sink. Over the last two days, we also got about 90% of the shiplap done and the electrical finished. It’s coming together fast now when we have the time and energy to work on it. It looks like a livable space, which is insane. Despite getting a ton of work done, the trailer has been pretty low on our list of priorities this cycle.
In early July we drove to Utah to pick up our dog, Lupine, from my mom, who is now hiking the Colorado trail. We stayed at Fremont Indian State Park, a tiny place off I70. As we were driving up that afternoon, we saw smoke and kept discussing where the 70 would intersect the 15 in relation to the fire. Turns out we camped about 10 miles from where it was burning. It had started at 1 pm that day and we were told by park staff that they believed it was human caused.
(Though the official story is lightning.) It was cool to camp underneath it and see how much the night cools things down, we could hardly even see smoke the next morning. The high temps and winds have kept it going, though and it is the largest current fire in Utah. We went to bed pretty early after a dinner of snacky stuff and veggie dip my mom brought from Bozeman. It made me strangely homesick to eat food from places that I recognized and produce the way my mom eats it. Not mixed in with a salad, but as little nibbles to eat with local hummus.
I threw a little hissy fit when we woke up after camping, I hadn’t stayed in a tent for months and did not want to drive back through the Nevada heat into suburban OC to spend another month or two. The idea of going back to work was hellish and I had slept better in the cool air under the stars than I do in our stuffy but air-conditioned bedroom at home. Nonetheless, we packed up, went on a short walk with my mom, and headed back to California. We stopped a few times to pee and refuel and get the dog to drink water. Outside of Las Vegas, the temps were well into the 110s. I had to pee so while I was in the restroom Austin tried to get Lupine to do his business. He opened the back of the car and watched Lupine physically recoil from the heat. He wouldn’t leave the car and moped the rest of the drive. He was pretty depressed until we got him to my parent-in-law’s where he has a new playmate and a huge yard to run around in. It’s still been a process to get him used to the new space and all the people in it. But he is settling well into the space.
A day after we got back family started showing up for my sister-in-law, Rachel’s wedding. I worked two more days and then committed to spending the latter half of the week with family. It was a fantastic time. Overwhelming as hell, and Lupine and I went on more than one late evening walk when I needed to give myself space.
I spent a lot of the time with my other sister-in-law, Casey. She and her husband live in Alaska, so we haven’t gotten the chance to spend much time together, but I got to know her a bit last year when Austin’s family came out to visit Montana, I cherished the ability to get to know her better. We had a lovely rehearsal dinner with the whole party and had such an outrageous time that a few tables close to us asked to be seated elsewhere. We took walks on the beach, visited tide pools, and had a pool party. Austin and I made a dinnerware set for Rachel and Tony and we snuck away on a few occasions to finish that up.
The wedding itself was gorgeous. Rachel was a beautiful bride, and the vows were sweet, and the venue (our backyard) was as pretty as any I’ve ever seen. It was an emotional day and after the reception, Rachel’s boys stayed overnight here. Michael, the youngest, couldn’t sleep and we stayed up talking until ~1 am. It was a sweet end to a beautiful day.
The wedding as a whole was a whirlwind of emotions, staying up late, getting up early, and accomplishing a ton of our to-do’s while also letting a lot slide when we just didn’t have the time or energy for them. Both my partner and I crashed pretty hard on the other side. But my honey’s family is quite incredible, and it was nice to get to visit and get to know them.
I worked two days post-wedding at Planet Fitness and am officially a single job lady now thanks to moving on from there. I will be done at REI the first week of August and you should expect to hear about us leaving California in the next moon letter!
Books:
The Stone Sky by N. K. Jemisin - This was the last of the series I started last month. I enjoyed it! I like fantasy that is thought-through and well executed which this whole series certainly was.
Daindreth’s Assassin by Elizabeth Wheatley - I hated this book. In fact, I am not going to finish it. What I said about thought-through and well-executed? This book is not. I can see what she was going for but the pacing is all wrong and it was a slog to read the bit that I did. Worth my time though because it inspired me to write a bit.
TV:
Almost finished with Good Omens. It’s a rewatch for me but Austin is enjoying it.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare - I need to stop watching Henry Cavil movies because I liked him as the Witcher but I hate the spy shit he’s been typecast as.
Started Scavengers Reign on Netflix. One of Austin’s good friends is dating someone who helped direct this series. It’s incredible, though like a lot of good work, we have to break it up at times because it gets intense.
Music:
I’ve been listening to Chappell Roan pretty constantly. But also a lot of my typical indie witchy shit, Abby Webster, Florence and the Machine, Hozier, etc. (P.S. Florence and the Machine and Hozier are almost certainly Hades and Persephone genderswapped and incarnated on earth.)
Love this!