The recent hurricanes that devastated parts of Florida and Western North Carolina are reminders that no one is immune to disaster. I am not a prepper but I have the heart of one, and I am extremely safety conscious. You can’t keep bad things from happening but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t make an effort if trouble is coming.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with emergency prep. You don’t need to do it perfectly. You don’t need to do it all at once. Just do something.

We all need water, food, shelter, sanitation, and connection. If an emergency disrupted one of all of these things, what would you do? Start with one thing and make a plan.

Take weather and evacuation warnings seriously. Check on your neighbors who might have difficulty evaluating or preparing. Make a plan for all people and animals in your care. Take your pets with you.

Ask yourself what you would do if you had no power, internet, or water. We saw this unfold in real-time in the path of Hurricane Helene. Disaster can strike anywhere, to anyone, and at any time. We had an extended power outage a few years ago and we learned a lot about living without power. The house got so cold that we ultimately made a dangerous drive to a hotel. After that experience, we bought a battery backup and now we prepare if there is any chance of a power outage.

Here’s my list. At the end of this post are additional links with guides to preparing for an emergency.

• Have a first aid kit. It’s difficult to contemplate, but be sure to have the tools to stop bleeding. Take a basic first aid class if you haven’t already. A psychological first aid class is also helpful if you find yourself in a large-scale event like a natural disaster.

• Having an AED for your neighborhood can save a life. Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) can be found in many public spaces because they can save the lives of people who are in cardiac arrest. Even untrained people can use an AED in an emergency because the unit tells the operator what to do. These might be cost-prohibitive for an individual but as with many emergency preparedness tools, a group approach helps.

• Have a way to keep warm. It helps to have sleeping bags with a low-temperature rating. We have an electric mattress pad and electric blankets. Both use much less power than space heaters and keep us warm. We also have emergency blankets.
• A 5-gallon bucket with basic tools.
• A large, heavy-duty tarp.
• Make sure that you have enough pet food and medications on hand.
• Make sure to have cash for each person in your household.
• Fill your cars up with gas.
• Have an empty gas can and funnel.
• Charge all your devices: laptops, phones, lanterns, headlamps, battery-powered generators, etc.
• Fill your bathtub with water. (It’s a good idea to make sure your bathtub will hold water! You can get one of these: Order waterBOB. They are a one-time use but are recyclable and enclose the water in a huge bag.)
• If you have jugs, fill those, too. We have about 20 1- to 2-gallon jugs to hand water container plants. These can be filled in advance and used to flush the toilet.
• After our last power outage, I also bought a 5-gallon water jug for water to use for hand washing. This type of stand helps: Brio Stainless Steel Single Water Bottle Stand, Black.
• If you have a generator, make sure you know how to operate it safely and test it regularly. If it’s battery-operated, make sure it’s fully charged.
• Be sure that you have enough medication on hand.
• Wipes help a lot when you can’t shower. A solar shower sold for camping might be a good option. Have plenty of hand sanitizer.
• Games and toys for kids.
• Disposable dishes. I’m not a fan of single-use anything but when you have no water, washing dishes is not going to happen.
• Stock your pantry with food you like that you can easily eat without water or power. Be sure to have a good manual can opener.We have a propane stove in our kitchen that works when the power is out, but we have to worry about ventilation. You can also use a camp stove outside. Make sure that you know how to use the equipment BEFORE an emergency and have propane on hand.
• We have larger freezer packs, and these help the refrigerator stay cold during an extended power outage.
• If you are a coffee drinker, make sure to have a pour-over cone and filters.
• Heavy-duty black contractor trash bags will help with any trash that you need to keep on your property until trash removal is available again.
• Battery-operated or hand-crank radio. The local NPR affiliate station in Asheville is providing ongoing updates and information about resources to residents so the radio has become a key information source.
• Keep extra batteries in different sizes on hand.
• LED lanterns: we have rechargeable and hybrid versions with a battery backup.
• Headlamps (ensure the batteries are charged and/or have extras on hand).
• Battery-operated fairy lights make an extended power outage less awful.
• Candles: I prefer LED candles because they are safer around my dog who can clear any surface with a single wag. If you use regular candles, put your matches or a lighter in a place where you can easily find them.
• Have important numbers printed out for everyone in your family and establish a rendezvous location in case you are separated.
• Power bank(s) for your devices. They aren’t perfect but a solar power bank might also be helpful. Make sure everything is charged.
• If you are likely to help dogs and cats in trouble during an emergency, having slip leads and extra collars will help you corral a scared dog. A backpack cat carrier might come in handy, too.

A few considerations after our last outage: 

We are looking at a power backup system for our well. It won’t run the well 24/7 in an extended outage but could help with regular access to water.

Some things I wish I had done before the last storm that knocked out our power: run the dishwasher and make sure the laundry is caught up.

In our recent emergency, our house was fine but we did have trees and some huge branches come down. If your house is damaged and you can’t get out of your neighborhood, do you have ideas for alternative shelter? A tent? Camper?

You might not be able to get out of your neighborhood if trees are down, roads are flooded or wildfires cut off access so it’s good to think through the options. One of the books I am reading this month, The Open Air Life, talks about year-round camping (and this is in Nordic countries). I realized that camping in the cold and rain takes the the sting out of a housing emergency. If you have the gear, you can get through any emergency.

Pack a Go Bag

After a particularly scary fire season a few years ago, we prepared “Go Bags” for ourselves and the fur kids. We had bags ready by the front door with our important papers and a prioritized list of stuff to take depending on how much additional time we had to pack. It’s a good idea to prepare a go bag for everyone in your household. Make sure that your important papers are grab-and-go ready in a waterproof folder.

More checklists!

The Tampa Bay Times published several hurricane preparedness checklists (personal, home, auto, pet, kids) that are great for multiple situations: Hurricane season 2024: Checklists for building all kinds of storm kits.

Help Asheville recover

It turns out that I know a lot of people who live in the Asheville area. The hurricane devastation there was unexpected and mind-boggling. Here are several ways that you can help the people in Western North Carolina:

• Beloved Asheville: https://belovedasheville.com/
• Brother Wolf Animal Rescue https://www.bwar.org/
• Asheville Humane Society: https://www.ashevillehumane.org/donate/
• Hannah Cole of Sunlight Tax. Even though she lost her entire studio, Hannah is supporting others by collecting and disbursing donations and supporting small businesses through tax services like extensions and tax reliefs. (LLCs often do quarterly filings so tax season is year-round). I’ve taken several classes with Hannah and she has a big heart.Paypal: Sunlight Tax LLC, @hannahcole1779

Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash

In 2014, I got a dog and a carpet cleaner for Christmas. The two were not unrelated. I don’t think Buddy had ever lived inside up until that point. We did a lot of learning together.

That carpet cleaner—a Bissell Proheat 2X Premier—is still going strong at almost the 10-year mark. It replaced another Bissell that served us for years before it stopped working. (Someone took it as a free item at a garage sale. He seemed pretty happy about it so I am confident that he knew how to fix it and give it a second life.)

Maybe we could use the carpet cleaner a bit more often but it’s a workout to use. This week I pulled it out (finally) to clean the guest room carpet. While I had it out, I decided to keep going and clean the hall and living room rugs. We also have a kitchen rug, added a few years ago to help the dogs stay surefooted, so I cleaned that, too. Then I remembered the doormats and the sunroom rug. That led to another outdoor rug. 10 carpets later, we had every fan going and I had blisters on my hands.

The carpets look great! It’s hard work, but the payoff is pretty immediate. The black and red living room rug looks black and red again. And the doormats are no longer muddy. One of the outdoor rugs looked destined for the landfill and now it’s perfectly usable.

Tips for Carpet Cleaning

Vacuum as thoroughly as possible in both directions and vacuum both sides of throw rugs. I have had good luck cleaning all kinds of rugs including rugs marked “spot clean only.” This recent article confirmed what I have already learned through trial and error: things are more cleanable than you think. Of course, if you have an expensive rug, proceed with caution. In Phoenix, we found a carpet cleaning service that we really liked. You might get lucky, too.

Here’s what we use:

• Bissell Carpet Cleaner (New model here: ProHeat 2X® Revolution® Pet Pro Carpet Cleaner 3587 | BISSELL)
• Bissell Carpet Cleaner Formula (A bottle lasts a long time.)
• Bissell Pretreat Spray (This always seems unnecessary but it works.)

Our process: Move as much as possible off the floor. We do tend to focus on traffic areas and worry less about the part of the rug that’s under furniture. Vacuum and then vacuum some more. Seriously, vacuum until you are bored. Then we pretreat where needed, clean, and then rinse with plain water. To prevent puddles on the floor, we park the machine on a towel in between areas.

We have learned that we need to clean out the machine as we go because: dog hair. Even with all the vacuuming, dog hair is gonna get ya. It does jam up the works. We have become adept at it so it’s not a big deal. I checked out one of the newer models and they might have addressed this problem.

We use fans and a dehumidifier to speed drying. And we try to steam clean on dry days. I noticed the new models say carpets can be dry in 30 minutes with “express clean mode.” That could be a game-changer. The new Bissell models moved the tank to the handle/body, and this might also improve maneuverability.

Photo by Angela Baker on Unsplash

The only thing worse than talking about death is not talking about death.

Despite my cordial relationship with death, I continue to be amazed when it catches me by surprise. I have a stoic mindset when it comes to death: memento mori, remember, death is coming. And still, I was rattled when several famous–and not famous–died this past year who were right around my age. I have been reminded multiple times to prepare for the day when I’m gone and the number of reminders seems to increase with age.

If you have ever been the executor of an estate, you probably know what can go wrong when people don’t face into their imminent demise, and how hard it can be on the people who remain. Very often they’re grieving and they’re having to deal with a lot of decision-making and administrative BS.

Our society’s aversion to talking about death is compounded by the fact that we humans are notoriously bad at predicting what we will want in the future. So we have to make a lot of best guesses and we also have to have someone we trust to do the best that they can do knowing what they know about us. And the first step is saying very plainly what you think you want to have happen, and then have a conversation about it.

It also helps to talk to other people about this subject, and I recommend some of the circles hosted by Healing Circles Global on this topic including Dying without the elephant, We all die: let’s talk about it, and Death and dying. Healing circles are offered free of charge but donations are gratefully accepted and help keep everything running, you can sign up for healing circles here: https://healingcirclesglobal.org.

One thing that we did recently with the help of my sister was to reserve niches that hold cremation urns. There are now seven niches that are co-located for various members of our families. And surprisingly, instead of feeling morbid about it, I feel relieved. We’ve taken a step in our end-of-life preparations and no one will have to guess what needs to happen.

If you haven’t already, I hope you will talk to your near and dear ones about your final act. I feel passionate about this topic and plan to revisit it in future posts. How about you? Any wisdom to share? Any books or resources that you have found helpful?

I recently came across videos by quilter Zak Foster. He has a video on burial quilts that is thought-provoking and worth a watch. Zak Foster and his burial quilts

As a quilter, I found it reassuring somehow. Maybe you will, too.

A few books are included below. If you have suggestions, please reply to this email. I would love to hear from you

• A Beginner’s Guide To The End: Practical advice for facing death and living life by BJ Miller and Shoshana Berger

• Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande

• The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta Magnusson

As a person who has shopped for leggings, weighed the pros and cons of different styles, and admired the leggings of others, I feel thoroughly confident and competent in giving my expert opinion on the topic since that’s considerably more credentialed than others currently weighing in: Everyone can wear leggings. Everyone. Every single person. Anyone who wants to wear them. Any age. Any size. Go for it. May they be comfy, cute, washable, soft, with pockets or without, bleach resistant (if you know, you know), just the right color—whatever makes your heart sing and helps you get dressed.

If you have decided that you think that leggings are not for everyone, I encourage you to think about why you have started to believe that other people’s bodies are a cause for concern. What unmet need is coming up for you? What are you denying yourself? If you are triggered by a clothing item, this might be hard to hear: it’s time to work on you. I hope you can find acceptance.

Go out there and love others. And yourself. Everyone.

And instead of worrying about what people are wearing, maybe we could all try to be a little more like this guy and take care of people: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/10/new-york-winter-helping-neighbors-stay-warm-wood-burning

Photo by the amazing Alexandra Tran on Unsplash

I developed a new skill: rehabbing sweat-stained baseball caps. Robert had a few favorites that were not quite presentable for wearing in public. I went to YouTube University to learn some tips and develop a process.

Caveats before you try this at home: I’ve only done this with cotton and poly hats. Leather and wool hats would each need a different strategy. The hats I cleaned aren’t keepsakes. I am just trying to extend their useful life. Most caps are now made with a plastic bill. This wouldn’t work with a cardboard bill.

I started off using some upholstery cleaner. That helped, but the hat was still stained. Then, I switched to a Tide and warm water solution with a dish brush. This helped but wasn’t quite enough. I also tried washing one of the hats in the top rack of the dishwasher. This probably helped sanitize it, but it didn’t get it clean.

Then, I decided to give Dawn Powerwash a try. This product cuts grease, and it was great on a hat. You do need to let it sit. I sprayed both sides of the hat and let it sit in an empty dish tub.

Then I used Dawn dish soap, warm water and a dish brush to clean the brim and bill. Be gentle at this step, especially with embroidered hats! Then I soaked the hat in the dish tub with some laundry detergent and a little Dawn dish soap dissolved in warm water. One of the hats was an over-dyed maroon denim hat, so I added a Shout ColorCatcher sheet to the dish tub along with some dye preserver that I use when washing quilts and then let it sit for a while. Be prepared to be grossed out by the murky water after soaking a hat. Ewwww!

Then, I scrubbed again and rinsed the hat thoroughly in cool water. At this point, the first two hats looked good. Definitely back to wear-in-public condition! I reshaped them and dried them on a towel on the counter for a few days. (Your dry time may vary.)

After my success with the first two hats, I washed a third hat by starting with the Dawn Powerwash step. Easy peasy lemon squeezey!  With the third hat, I looped it over the gooseneck faucet of the laundry room sink to let it drip dry first, and that sped up the drying time.

Have your own hat-cleaning tips? Respond and let me know!

Photo by 420 FourTwoO on Unsplash

2022 was the year of cooking more and cooking better. I’m working on learning basic Indian, Ethiopian, and Korean cooking in 2023. All the cooking has made me pay more attention to the things in the kitchen. We have no shortage of gadgets! Some are useful, some are indispensable. Here’s my current top 10. Number one will surprise no one; I am extremely fond of coffee. Numbers 2 through 6 are used almost daily in our kitchen. I think Santa is bringing me a new box grater with an attached container, which might edge something off my list. Stay tuned!

1. Coffee makers, all kinds

2. Lodge cast iron skillet

3. Cutco knives (the Trimmer is my go-to knife and stays sharp forever)

4. Electric kettle (we have two, and both get used daily: this glass kettle and one similar to this stainless steel model)

5. Small cutting board (because it’s lighter and easier to clean; ours is an olive wood cutting board from Trader Joe’s)

6. Extra measuring spoons in sizes from ⅛ teaspoon to 2 tablespoons

7. Can strainer

8. His and hers peelers (we like different styles)

9. Rice cooker

10. New on my list of favorites: the Instant Pot (we have the 3-quart size but recommend the 6-quart since most recipes are created for that size) with extra color-coded sealing rings for the instant pot, so everything doesn’t smell like chili

Honorable mentions: NutriBullet and immersion blender (game changer for making salsa).

What are your favorite kitchen tools? Reply and let me know. I’ll publish a follow-up!

Photo by Rachel Brenner on Unsplash

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

We have dogs. They poop. No one likes to step in it, so we clean up as they go. We have used this galvanized metal pail from Behrens at Home Depot. Inevitably the lid fails. The handle attachment design creates holes in the lid. It rains, and rains and rains in the Pacific Northwest and these small holes turn into a big problem over time. To be fair, we’ve had the current pail for almost five years but the handle finally fell off.

We just purchased a replacement, and now we are on a mission to extend its usable life.

First, we coated it with a few layers of clear Rustoleum spray paint, inside and out. Second, we caulked the handle attachments with clear silicone. Condensation is an issue, too, so we are also adding a plastic sink mat* cut to size for the bottom to stop the inevitably wet plastic bag from constant contact with the bottom of the pail.

*This mat also works well in our Little Free Library.

Bonus tip for removing the gigantic label from the can

I don’t know why labels need to be so difficult to remove. It’s a pet peeve, and we even avoid products with difficult-to-remove product stickers. If you have ever given up on label removal for an outdoor object, you know that the situation rarely improves on its own. Better to take care of it at the beginning.

We always try peeling the label off first, even if it only removes some of the label or just the top layer. Sometimes that’s a good strategy; sometimes it’s not.

Because this is a bucket we keep outside, there’s no problem getting it wet. I stuck it in the sink and soaked the label. Then I scraped it off using my fingers leaving just the sticky residue from the glue. I used some canola oil to remove the glue, followed by a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and a no-scratch scrubber sponge with a bit of dish soap and a lot of elbow grease. I wiped it dry with a clean rag, and no trace of the label remains—total elapsed time about 10 minutes.

The new and improved can is deployed. I’ll report in and let you know how it goes. And the old pail? Recycled as scrap metal! Winning!

It’s hard to imagine the word pretty describing cat litter. Necessary, yes. Utilitarian. Clumping. Odor-reducing. These all make sense to me. But pretty? I don’t get it.

Lille En, recently had a health scare–bladder stones. She’s recovered, thank goodness, but we need to monitor the ph of her urine. I think some of you are thinking what I was thinking: How the heck do we do that.? I am imagining handing the kitty a specimen cup.

At the vet, they remove urine directly from the bladder using a needle. Ewww and owww. An effective diagnostic but not one that you want to repeat regularly, especially with a cat who pees in her cat carrier on EVERY SINGLE trip to the vet.

Enter Pretty Litter.

Our vet recommended Pretty Litter as a diagnostic tool to monitor our cat. Just let that sink in. Pretty litter that’s a diagnostic tool. Mind blown. I can’t tell you how many times we have repeated the phrase, “Better living through science” over the past several months.

Pretty litter looks like white crystals and it changes color to indicate the ph of urine. It even shows blood in the urine, which would have helped us recognize our cat’s problem much earlier.

We had a feeling that one of the foods she is eating might be causing a problem and sure enough, we got an early warning from Pretty Litter.

We had to move the cat box into our bathroom when Lille En was sick and needed frequent bathroom breaks, and I can report that the litter seems to neutralize all odor. And as cat litter goes, it is pretty. It’s also pretty handy and pretty amazing. Cats are sensitive to changes, especially litterbox changes, so we made the switch gradually and have a second catbox with her regular litter available. After a month or so of Pretty Litter, she’s stopped using her old cat box.

It’s hard to write a pandemic silver lining post. So many lives were lost and upended. But there are some things that have helped keep us going during the pandemic. Here are 19 plus a few honorable mentions.

1. Battery-powered frother
   This $1.99 item from IKEA was rated the top Christmas gift of 2021 by my QwikTea chai latte-loving husband.
2. Rechargeable LED lantern
   After the power went out a few weeks ago, this came in handy, illuminating the kitchen so we could cook dinner. We bought a second one to have one in the bedroom, too. 
3. Just Egg and Beyond Meat Breakfast Sausage
   These are our favorite second breakfast items. (When you eat very early in the morning, then second breakfast is a thing. Well, it’s our thing anyway.)
4. Who Gives A Crap toilet paper
   Before the pandemic, I had been looking at more environmentally friendly toilet paper options and learned about WGAC. They offer recycled paper and bamboo options. I was a little slow deciding, however, and then all hell broke loose and there was no toilet paper anywhere. When they finally restocked, I set up a subscription and we haven’t looked back. I prefer the bamboo option. The tissues aren’t my favorite, but the paper towels are great (we use very few paper towels having switched to bar rags years ago.) Oh, and they donate 50% of profits to build toilets worldwide.
5. LinkedIn Learning
   I love online learning in a big heart eyes emoji kind of way. And LinkedIn Learning has been a go-to favorite since it was Lynda.com. It’s less than $300/year or free if you have a premium LinkedIn subscription or possibly through your local library.
6. Our Public Library
   We have THE BEST public library system in the Timberland Regional Library. Great online holds system brings in books from its many branches to the local library of your choice (we have three branches that are convenient to us.) They also offer access to LinkedIn Learning, movies, documentaries and foreign films via Kanopy, and art and craft courses via CreativeBug. And when everything closed down, they still found a way with Library “take out.”
7. Squirrel Proof Large Stainless Steel Bird Feeder
   I love my little chickadees but they can clean out a feeder quickly on a wintry day. We bought this feeder from Chickadee Farms on ETSY. Sturdy and well made, it holds a lot of black sunflower seeds for my feathered friends and while no feeder is truly squirrel proof, we hung this with a swivel hook from an extended bird feeder hook and I haven’t seen a squirrel on it yet.
8. Flannel sheets
   I was just about today years old when I learned that flannel sheets are warm when you get in bed. Granted this is more important where winter lasts more than two weeks (looking at you Phoenix). My online research revealed that Target’s Threshold Flannel Sheets are Wirecutter’s budget pick option for flannel sheets. They are also STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certified. Two thumbs up. 
9. Let’s Make Art
   Let’s Make Art makes watercolor painting fun and accessible with kits and free YouTube tutorials. It’s worth buying the butcher tray palette and the round two and round six brushes that are used in most projects. 
10. YouTube
    Me and YouTube–or YouTube-iversity as I like to call it–go way back. But when you are trying to make due in a pandemic, nothing beats on-demand video tutorials. 
11. LED pillar candles with remote
    I like stuff that lights up. I like candles but traditional candles and curious furkids can be a bad combo. I’ve been looking at LED candles for a while and decided on a 3-candle set featuring a more realistic flame-shaped light perched on a black “wick” with a remote AND a timer (4, 8 or 12 hours). They make me RIDICULOUSLY happy. 
12. Grocery store pickup
    We’ve been fans from way back but now it’s the norm instead of the exception. You have to have modest expectations when other people are picking out your produce, but for the most part, it’s been an exceptional service. 
13. Online events
    So many people and organizations insisted that face-to-face was the ONLY way to host events. Until it wasn’t possible and then people started to embrace online. Online events are often cheaper and more convenient. There are often recordings and other resources. They are more accessible to disabled attendees, neurodiverse attendees, women with children and so many others. I’ve attended some fantastic online programs including three multi-month training programs. 
14. St. Ives Body Wash
    Remember when you couldn’t find liquid soap anywhere? Out of desperation, we tried St. Ives Body Wash in the pump bottle as an alternative and we will never go back to tiny bottles. Nice consistency, non-drying, vegan, no animal testing and 100% recycled (and recyclable) bottle. 
15. Tek Gear 4-way fleece hood
    I bought this for Robert to keep his neck and face warm on dog walks and realized that it also fits my big melon. Women’s hats are always too small for me and even most men’s hats are not made for a 7 ¾” hat size. But this fits! And it’s soft, warm and adjustable without giving me the claustrophobia that I get from other balaclava style hats. 
16. More fleece throws for the win
    Speaking of fleece, we bought a couple of new fleece throws. We have a few of The Big One® Oversized Supersoft Plush Throws from Kohl’s that have survived our nest-making dog, stayed soft and still look good. We added a few more so everyone has their own. It’s amazing how a small cat and a medium dog can hog a blanket. (STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® CERTIFIED)
17. New five-burner stove with griddle
    Our oven gave out in 2021 and after weeks of deciding, we ordered a new five-burner range with a griddle. In the nothing’s easy department, we had to find a range convertible for propane and then find the installer that specializes in propane ranges. We are glad we did because the new range is amazing! Our old stove struggled with simple stuff, like boiling water, and before it stopped working, the oven took forever to heat up. And when the installer came, we learned it had been leaking gas, probably for some time. Yikes!  
18. New York Times Five Weeknight Dishes Newsletter
    This newsletter has saved dinner more than once. And it introduced us to Pasta Puttanesca sauce, mushroom toast, Chile Oil Noodles and much more. 
19. Thriftbooks
    When browsing used book bookstores is no longer a frequent pastime, Thriftbooks fills the gap. ThriftBooks also sells new books which is a great alternative. Thriftbooks is a master recycler with a good supply chain and AI thrown in: you can read about this on Reddit. You can read more about their social responsibility efforts here. 

Very honorable mentions: Coursera and Udemy for more online classes, Missouri Star Quilt Company for their fabric and their tutorials; Wakelet, one of the best website design tools I have used, amaryllis bulbs for capturing my curiosity, the Olympia Unitarian Church for moving their book sale online, and ring lights which really do make you look better on Zoom.