Greetings from Ontario!

Going soup mode, going dumpling mode and sometimes going soup dumpling mode.

I’ve spent the past week in Ontario in the picturesque village of Warkworth, a town you haven’t heard of of unless you’re from there or you’ve talked to me and I’ve sung its praises to you. Warkworth, Ontario is a small town with a brilliant creative community nestled in the rolling hills of Central Ontario. It has a downtown that feels like something out of a storybook. My friends here each own businesses– an apothecary and home goods shop, a massage studio, a pet store, a vintage boutique, and a cafe. It’s idyllic and every time I’m here I am plotting my next visit. 

I’ve primarily spent time on couches– in my friend Jamie’s home near both a wood stove and a fireplace watching Netflix movies (Glass Onion, Knives Out, Someone Great, Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse and Logan Lucky) or on the couch at Melissa’s store Sunday’s Company. When I’m not couching, I’ve been lounging, making my way through book after book, and in lovely conversation. I’ve also been eating delicious food. I haven’t had to cook for myself even once thanks to the glorious hospitality of some of the best humans I’ve ever had the good fortune to know. It has been bliss to a burnt out girl who was, and remains, very tired. 

I peeled myself from the couches of Warkworth to deposit myself on one of many couches in a cottage outside of Haliburton with seven brilliant women. If you’ve never been to Ontario or aren’t familiar with the area, don’t worry. I also have a very limited knowledge of the province outside of three locations: Toronto, Warkworth, and Cottage Country. What you need to know is this: Cottage Country is a magical and restful place. 

This particular cottage sits on Drag Lake, one of the largest lakes in Haliburton. The lake was frozen nearly solid for the entirety of our stay. I’ve never experienced winter cold like this, but I’m pleased to let you know that it mostly involves reading indoors and sitting in hot tubs and saunas outdoors. Once I took a brief walk around the property and down to the lake for photos, but quickly retreated indoors after about 20 minutes. 

This former Austinite was not made for below freezing temperatures unless I’m in soup mode (bubbling in a hot tub) or dumpling mode (steamed in a sauna) or in soup dumpling mode (in a hot tub, then in a sauna). 

Thankfully the activities of this trip have been just what the doctor ordered. As I mentioned previously, I’m nursing some major burnout, and though I’m still writing often and at length, most of the things I’m getting down aren’t ready to be finished just yet. 

I’ve started this newsletter several times and written a couple hundred words on different topics, but I’m going to stop here for this week and use this as a way to share some photos of my trip so far. 

I hope your week has been and continues to be brilliant.

Book Links:
The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker
Regarding The Pain of Others by Susan Sontag
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Can’t Even: How Millennials Became The Burnout Generation by Anne Helen Petersen
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

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