Weekly Musings September 13, 2026
Scotland ended in mid August, and September arrived like a wave. Family, work, responsibilities, and a notebook filling up faster than I could write any of it down.
The ideas never stopped. The energy did, for a few weeks. It is coming back.
Stay with me. There are trips, ideas, and hard-won tips headed your way.
This Whisky bar has over 900 bottles to sample
I am tired in a way that took all summer to build. Edinburgh and the Scottish Highlands, then Richmond, then the long drive south to my mom in South Carolina, plus every day trip I could fit around the edges. It was wonderful and I would do all of it again, and by this weekend I wanted nothing more than to be home and stay there.
Labor Day weekend I went nowhere. Here is that itinerary, in case you need one, or permission to stay put
Friday. My mom and I fully intended to head into Philly. Then we thought about the traffic, and the drive, and the twenty minutes of circling for parking, and we looked at each other and decided to stay close to home instead. Best decision of the weekend. What we got in exchange was hours. Time to actually talk, to relax, to take each other in without one eye on the clock or the garage rate.Without the stress and exhaustion that comes with a Friday night (First week back to school, teachers I KNOW you can relate….)
Love this woman!
Saturday. A ride to the shore with a friend to meet more of his friends, none of whom I had met before. They were lovely. I had forgotten how good it feels to sit down with genuinely interesting people who aren't performing and aren't in a hurry to be anywhere. We just talked. That was the entire event. A quick walk to the beach, to check out the surf and seashells, and of course the company of a bright young little man with super cool eye glasses!!
A friends gorgeous view for a week in Avalon, NJ ~ Gracious hosts for inviting us!!
Sunday. Routine. Productive. Calm. Also, if I'm being honest, tiring. The gym, brunch with a friend, a long walk with no destination attached, and then I cleaned and straightened and put things back where they belong, which I enjoyed considerably more than I am prepared to defend.
I'm writing this sore, a little irritable, and restless in a way I recognize as the tail end of a very full summer. Tonight's plan is to get horizontal with a book. The audiobook I have is excellent. What I don't have is a physical one, and I want the kind of book that you glance at the clock and it is past midnight, and you just feel like you can keep on going.
So tell me what to read. Reply and I'll put the best answers in the next issue.
RECOMMENDING
September means Labor day, back to school (Work for teachers) and a reset for the Fall. It is also a great time to shop! So many great finds and sales going on, here are a few things I have been eyeing AND buying!!
Stemless wine glasses - these look sleek and chic
A great workout set, can’t beat the price!
I really love the lace peeking through on this sweater
I really love the “t-strap” for fall, its sexy and sophisticated. Love these and these
A very pretty dress for a fall event
Brown is in for fall, one of my favorite neutrals. Love the lace trim on these
Still waiting for someone to invite me SOMEPLACE I could wear this to
The PERFECT Bucket bag DOES exist!
I love this casual sneaker, in brown, and under $50!!!
My friend was wearing these this morning and I stopped to admire them. Not only do they look great and are waterproof, they are also super comfortable! I can’t wait to try
Adore this Free People cable knit sweater, this one is also great for half the pric
LAST CALL
Reading: This and This
Drinking: This mocktail is top on my list, just ordered this
Listening: I started this, but it was a DNF! Now I am listening to this one
Watching: I will not and can not watch movies alone, but with someone, its pure joy! Recently watched this and thought it was SO good (if you liked The Sixth Sense and similar movies, you will enjoy this)
Anticipating: Jodi Piccoults newest novel debuts this Tuesday!! It already has rave reviews. Can’t wait to read Hollow Bones
Book Club: We just read and discussed Yesteryear (Overall everyone LOVED and SO much to discuss) and our October pick will be : Whistler. Have you read it? Thoughts?
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