i saw you were asking about that book club pick for next month. i finally finished the one from last round and honestly it grew on me after the middle section. the characters started feeling real around chapter twelve. i think we should pick something lighter this time though. something that doesn't require a flowchart to keep track of who is related to who. let me know if you want me to send that list of thriller titles i mentioned. i found a few more since we last talked. the weather here has been all over the place, sunny one minute and pouring the next. perfect stay inside and read kind of days. hope your week is going well. talk soon.

also i finally tried that pasta recipe you sent and it was a hit. even the kids asked for seconds which never happens. i added a little extra garlic and skipped the mushrooms. turned out great. let me know if you have any other easy weeknight meals. i need to expand my rotation beyond tacos and stir fry.

hey i was just thinking about our conversation last week regarding the garden plans. i ended up going with the raised bed design you suggested and it came together pretty well over the weekend. the cedar boards look nice and the soil blend you recommended seems rich and ready. i planted tomatoes on the south side and basil along the edge. fingers crossed the squirrels leave them alone this year. we had a bit of a deer situation last season but i think the fence should handle it. thanks again for the tip about lining the bottom with landscape fabric. that saved a lot of weeding time already.

let me know if you want to swap cuttings when things start growing. i also picked up a new bird feeder that the finches seem to love. it attaches to the window with suction cups so we can watch them up close. the kids are obsessed. anyway let me know how your garden is coming along. hope everything is growing well on your end.