Weekly Journal 9.20.26

Reading

During my travel in Chicago I've been devouring Sister, Sinner by Claire Hoffman. It's the scandalous story of the early 20th-century Evangelical preacher Aimee Semple McPherson, who may have faked her own kidnapping in 1926. I'm just halfway through the book, so I can't tell you what conclusion the authorities ultimately reached in the case. Devotees of the church she founded certainly believe that the kidnapping was real.

Watching

I've got nothing new on the watch list. I tried to watch Merrily We Roll Along during my flight, but unfortunately I very much disliked it.

I'm excited for the upcoming seasons of Great British Baking Show and Is it Cake? Halloween Edition.

Cooking

I used up my homemade apple butter on a dinner of pork chops. After cooking the chops, I used the pan to make a quick sauce with apple cider vinegar, apple butter, thyme, regular dairy butter, and a bit of lemon. It made a dark and tasty coating for the pork chops. We ate them with roasted potatoes and carrots from the garden.

Doing

I'm writing this at the end of nearly four days in Chicago. I'll probably write more about the trip later. This last day feels terribly similar to my last day in Atlanta, back in January, when I started coming down with pneumonia. My throat feels scratchy, I'm exhausted but I have nowhere to truly rest, and I won't get home until midnight. Why do I always have to catch something??

I'm stuck inside because it's raining here, which is fine because I also have back pain from walking around the city. At least I got to visit The Bean while it was clear outside:

Listening

This one probably needs no explanation.