Out of the (FTT) office

with gnomes to keep you company

Bea and Harriet and I have been like passing ships this week—Bea has been in (a very wonderful, all-outdoor) camp, Harriet has been at school, and both have been at (excellent!) meet-the-teacher nights with their dad. Meanwhile I’ve been on campus for the first time in more than a year, scrambling in that back-to-school way that is (a lot) extra this year, for so many reasons I’ll probably say more about on Sunday.

Bea wanted me to share these adorable fellows with you. She made them at camp from old sweaters, stuffing, and alpaca hair. Their names are “Sir Gnomie” (the tall one) and “Gnomester” (the shorter guy); their pets are “Clementine” and “Jingle Bells.” She wants you to know that she used both a whip-stitch and a blanket stitch to sew them.

I took Sir Gnomie with me in my backpack yesterday, and he helped a lot! We’re thinking about some quell-your-anxiety, back-to-school craft activities we’ll post about next week.

How are you all doing? What do you do when it’s all too much? I hope you’re holding up, staying safe, and finding moments of beauty, fun, and creativity to distract…