5 Quick Things #352 šŖ
caffeine overload, tiny decluttering, misplaced magic, & weird fish
Hey there,
This week we had ice and āsnow,ā just enough to close schools for the day āĀ the one day I happen to teach. So, it ended up being a week of cozying up at home and staying put, and I have to admit it seemed to be just the thing our household needed. Thereās little else more delightful in our modern world than a string of calendar squares with almost nothing on them⦠It so rarely happens, it seems.
Our weather would have probably made those of you north of the Mason-Dixon Line roll your eyes as youād put on your shorts and enjoyed a brisk morning walk here. Itās all good, because we do the same to you when you complain about your summer temps⦠In all love, I hope youāre all staying warm and safe whateverās going on outside your windows. āOr if youāre in the southern hemisphere, that youāre cool and safe in the summer blaze.

5 Quick Things āļø
1. ICYMI, my daughter Tate shared her first letter from Austria, and I was as charmed as you all were: āIāve come to recognize in the past few days that God truly is everywhere. In the beautiful architecture of St. Stephenās Cathedral, in the moonlight while trailblazing a hill, in the children stuffed into winter garb toddling alongside their mother, in the old woman half my height sitting with me in Mass, in the food and drinks served in the Mensa, in the people laughing so hard you feel it in the floor, in the pain, sorrow, and darkness, in the love, peace, and light.ā
2. Iāve declared this year to be a year of massive decluttering in our household āĀ Iām ready to get us fully from temporary-renovation state to this-is-how-we-live-here state, even if our house is a forever fixer-upper (which is life in an old house). This week I was reminded how to best declutter when youāre a working homemaker spinning 17 plates: a little at a time. In 15-minute little increments, Iām choosing to declutter a spot in our home as little windows in time open. If I wait until I have an entire Saturday clear for this task, itāll never happen. But while dinnerās in the oven? I can tackle a shelf in the bathroom.
3.
is one of my favorite current thinkers, and he recently wrote some excellent food for thought in another current favorite thinkerās newsletter, Jon Haidtās : āInstant, effortless, impersonal power is now all around us, and it is not going away. But we have let it colonize places where not only is it of no useāthere is no magical way to raise a childābut where it actively displaces and undermines the essential process of personal formation. We have let the magic of technology into the formative stages of lifeāinfancy, childhood, adolescenceāso that from very early on, many if not most children experience the seductive power of instant, effortless results delivered through screens and digital devices (and many battery-powered toys as well).ā4. The past few months Iāve seen an uptick in my caffeine sensitivity, so I think Iām nudging more and more towards a decaf life (as I write this Iām sipping my first morning coffee and already feeling the buzz). Iām going to transition slowly, of course, perhaps with just one cup of ānormalā caffeine and then half-caf for my second, moving eventually into full decaf. The trick is finding genuinely good decaf beans ā very few indie coffee shops around here roast decaf beans and our grocery store is bereft of quality options. ā¦Time to do some research. Ideas welcome.
5. And finally⦠fish are indeed weird (agreed,
). As is much of creation.
Currently Reading, Watching, Listening š
Signs of Life, by Scott Hahn
Quotable š¬
āHave patience with all things āĀ but first with yourself. Never confuse your mistakes with your value as a human being. You are a valuable, creative, worthwhile person simply because you exist. No amount of triumphs or tribulations can alter that.ā
ā St. Francis de Sales1
What do you have at home? š¶š±
For whatever reason, I was sorta surprised at these results; I imagined more of us were ābothā households. Maybe itās whatever your normal is, is what you assume to be the case of others.
ā¦In case itās not obvious, weāre a ābothā household here.
Neither: 42%
Dogs: 28%
Cats: 17%
Both: 12%
Find next weekās poll here.
This Summerās Pilgrimage ā°ļø
Friendly reminder to join us this summer as we float along the Rhine River! Activities include cheesemaking in Amsterdam, witnessing marvels such as Cologne Cathedral and the abbey of St. Hildegard of Bingen, walking through iconic villages like Strasbourg, getting a behind-the-scenes look at cuckoo clock-making in the Black Forest region, taking a train through the Swiss Alps, and more. Iād love to have you join us!

Quick Links š
š Read my books
Question(s) For You to Ponder⦠š¤
Where has your mind been focused recently ā on your past, your present, or your future? Why do you think that is?
Have a great weekend,
- Tsh
p.s. - The delight of a rare snow day.
Today is his feast day!
Oh, I'd like to hear about sources of decent decaf, too. I love coffee! I never have gotten excessive about it but that's partly because I'm very sensitive to it -- I really feel it after even just one cup. This week I've gone down to just one cup of half-caf but I'm not sure I can go lower than that if it means it's going to taste bad! Hopefully some readers here have some solutions to suggest...
You introduced me to Andy Crouch. I am so glad you did! I read "The Life We're Looking For" over the summer and am reading "Strong and Weak" right now. I printed the article mentioned last week to make my way through it slowly. My work in education is through a digital delivery system with little classroom time (in Canada), and I see students losing out on this model. Though the tools are helpful, especially for students with language and processing barriers, I struggle to find balance. My last home-educated kiddo is in this model, and I struggle with some of the effects. Anyway, I always appreciate the articles you share.
As for coffee, I assume Canada is not an option to source your decaf, but if it were, Kicking Horse Decaf would be a winner. Locally (for me) roasted, and I have not found anything better in terms of taste and texture.
Added note: I just found out it is sold in the US. https://kickinghorsecoffee.com/collections/coffee/products/decaf