It was a beautiful morning for late July, a gift really, so I decided to spend some time outside in the garden to do some weeding and trimming.  It’s the time of year when I usually get tired of the maintenance, and it’s too hot to enjoy being outside, but this week has been a treat.  I know we’ll still have hot, sticky days in August, but they are easier to tolerate when we have some cooler weather sprinkled in.

Here are my four things for this week: A novel I enjoyed, Murder 101, fresh-cut flowers, and interviews, photoshoots & painting.

what I’m reading

I haven’t read any books this week that blew my hair back, but I finished A Girl Called Samson a couple of weeks ago, and it’s still hanging with me.  It’s beautifully written, and I fell in love with Deborah, John, and others in the book.  It’s heartbreaking and inspiring.  I’m already looking forward to reading it again at some point in the future.  If you like stories of real historical figures fleshed out with some imagination, this is a great read.

what I’m watching

On a whim, Jeff and I watched Murder 101 on Amazon Prime, and it was excellent.  It’s a documentary that follows a sociology class as they work on a string of connected cold murder cases.  First of all, the teacher is amazing.  His enthusiasm is inspiring, and they are learning so many valuable real-world skills as they navigate the assignments.  They learn their rights to information from the government through FOIA requests, how to make professional phone calls and leave messages, and how to think outside of the box and present their ideas to others.  In the process, they aren’t treated as “just teenagers”.   They are treated as capable, and their opinions and thoughts aren’t dismissed, even by law enforcement brought in to speak with them about their work.

Most importantly, the students are learning empathy for the victims they are researching.  The victims were young, high-risk women (prostitutes, drug addicts, runaways) who can often be overlooked.  The students learn to care deeply for them instead of judging their choices and see some of their parents, neighbors, and friends with more compassion.  It’s really a great watch.  I wish there were teachers like this in every classroom.

what I’m loving

I love being able to cut bouquets from my garden.  I always wanted to have an abundance of flowering bushes to clip from, and now I do.  I relish it.

what I’m working on

I’ve been working on interviews for my 2028 book and cleaning my studio for a photoshoot/freelance article.

Of course, I’ve been at the easel as well.  I’m working on commissioned paintings as well as some works for licensing and an upcoming art sale.

What have you been reading, watching, loving, and working on?