hello substack, hello winter

hi pals,

happy november! you might notice this letter looks a little different than usual. i’ve been really enjoying the writing i’m coming across on substack these days, so i thought i’d try it out for wababaland. there’s an archive of past letters, too, for anyone who wants to peruse before subscribing or finds themselves arriving later to the party.

how are ya’ll feeling lately? personally, i’ve been waaayyy too in my head the last few weeks. thinking and thinking, then thinking some more, lol. in times like these, i know i need to move: ride my bike, go for a walk with a friend, and dance to music that reminds me not to take myself so seriously.

spending time with marnie helps, too. this morning, we went out for a walk, which effectively means following her around the yard and trying to be a good hunting partner while she stakes out birds, bugs, and rustling leaves. these excursions are a bit different from walking a dog: marnie decides where we walk, how long we spend outside, and what’s important to pay attention to.

occasionally i’ll refuse to tramp through a certain section of brush, and she’ll complain and reroute us, but for the most part, i’m on her time when we go outside together. it’s an excellent forcing function on days when i could stand to let go a little. what do you do to get out of your head, and into your body?

among all of these thoughts is of course the question: what are we eating in november!? this time of year is like the superbowl for food, and as you may have noticed, i’ll take any opportunity to make something new and different that celebrates the current season.

when daydreaming about what to make this month, i kept coming back to thanksgiving dinner. i need no convincing to plan a whole day around eating (and lying on the couch afterwards), and i love finding ways to invite flavors that typically inhabit the world of cooking into my baking. for me, the two are anything but separate - ya girl is just trying to eat!

if thanskgiving-inspired baked goods sound up your alley, i’ll be at the norwich market on nov 15 (this saturday!) and nov 22, from 9am to 1pm at tracy hall. here’s what’s on the menu:

toasted brown butter chocolate chip cookies

buckwheat chocolate madeleines (gf)

pretzel shortbread linzers w/ homemade cranberry jam

”stuffing” focaccia w/ fresh herbs (gf, df)

freshly brewed abracadabra coffee

hungry yet? see you on saturday!

-jenna