Happy List: #405
Hello, hello! Welcome to this week’s Happy List. I’m delighted to see you here.
This week on the blog, I shared the floral witch’s hat I made for Halloween. *happy sigh* That craft is still filling my joy bucket. I must have needed a different creative outlet than building a rock wall.
Speaking of that rock wall, I shared a progress update on the blog. The most important part of that update is that I haven’t quit yet.
As always, thank you for being here. I hope the Happy List is a bright spot in your day and leaves you feeling inspired and encouraged! Part of the fun for me is connecting with you. If you want to reach out, please comment on this blog post or email me here. It makes my day. You can also direct message me on Instagram or Facebook.
Now, here’s the Happy List!
HALF UMBRELLA
I was today years old when I learned from Brittany at Addison’s Wonderland that half umbrellas are a thing. Did you know?
I’d say this is different than an awning because of the umbrella stand and pole.
Check out the photos of this happy, colorful space here.
(image: Addison’s Wonderland)
RIDDLE
I thought I’d mix things up and give you a riddle to solve. The answer will be at the very end of the Happy List. Here’s the riddle:
Read from the left, I shall be found a portion of all things that are; but change your hand and turn me ‘round, I then am nothing but a snare. (What word fits the first clue, but when read backwards, fits the second?)
PUMPKIN TOWER
I’m positive I’ve shared this, or a similar photo, before because I’d love to make a pumpkin tower.
Here’s what I’m wondering. Assuming mild weather, if you drilled through real pumpkins and threaded them on a rod, how long would they last before they rotted? Or are these faux pumpkins?
Also, what is the pallet situation under these pumpkins? That is quite happy-looking.
(image: Faith Provencher via Town and Country Living)
NEWSPAPER FRONTPAGES
Walzr.com is a website that archives front pages of newspapers around the world. I bookmarked this because it’s a quick visual to see what papers around the world are writing about on any given day and the tone they are using.
This is one tool to help step out of your media bubble. It can aid in making sure you aren’t living in an echo chamber. It can give you a glance at what’s happening around the world and how various countries and states view world affairs. Remember, this is just one tool in your media literacy and critical thinking toolkit.
(image: selected at random screenshot from September 15, 2025, Walzr.com)
TEXTURED GHOST CANVAS
This is a cute idea from Jennifer Rizzo. I won’t spoil what she used to make the textured ghosts, but I will say most of you probably have this item in your house, or have had to use it before moving.
If you’re hosting a ladies’ night this fall, this would be fun to make. Get the directions here.
(image: Jennifer Rizzo)
LISTENED, WATCHED
Radical Neighboring – A short documentary (18 minutes) about using a farm to help a community.
Multiple Sclerosis – podcast from Ologies. I don’t know anyone with MS, but I found this increased my understanding of how and why this disease wreaks havoc on a person’s system, and the amazing ways the brain tries to compensate.
What Jobs Are Safe From AI – podcast from Planet Money. As a mom whose kids are trying to pick college majors, I found this podcast strangely hopeful and comforting. A must listen.
STOP AND STARE
Stop and stare at this photo from Clove Brook Farm in Millbrook, New York. Wow, right?
The details. The time this must take. I’ve daydreamed about the details all week. You can read the whole story over at Flower Magazine.
(image: Annie Schlechter via Flower Magazine)
POLLUTION PARADOX
Phys.org reports that according to a recent study in Science that wildfires in the western U.S. can reduce pollution in the eastern U.S. This is because heat rising from the wildfires changes weather patterns, resulting in more rain on the East Coast. More rain equals less pollution.
No one is saying these wildfires are a good thing, just an interesting observation. I took it as a reminder that we may be separated by continents and oceans, but we are all connected.
(image: NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey)
SOLAR MASON JAR LIDS
It is my solemn duty to remind you that solar lids for mason jars with attached fairy lights exist.
Imagine how amazing these will look on your front porch this fall. Nestle them in with some pumpkins. It’s autumn perfection.
I’ve been testing one of them on a side table under my covered front porch, and even though it’s not in direct sunlight, it seems to get enough of a charge to light up at night.
P.S. I have 9 of these lids now. When I like something, I REALLY like it. Keep in mind these fit on regular mouth jars, not the wide ones. Check them out here. Best $15 I’ve spent this summer.
TOMATO SOUP CAKE
Have you ever had a Tomato Soup Cake? This is a Depression-era recipe featured on The Pioneer Woman’s website. I have to imagine it was tested rigorously to land on that site. Supposedly, it tastes like a spice cake, and you can’t taste the tomato.
Get the recipe here. Let me know if you try it.
(image: C.W. Newell for The Pioneer Woman)
POETRY MOMENT
You Are Here by Mira Jacobs
Leaving this here so you have it to come back to today. This
country has always been brutal, and there has always been an
us who have been fighting it. The beauty that comes out of that
fight, the way our love for each other changes the world around
us is real and glorious and unrelenting. It cannot be caged, tamed,
erased, or lost. You are part of that tradition. I know you are
starting to know this, but really *know* it now. Art is making
something no one asked for not because they didn’t need it, but
because they didn’t *know* they needed it until you made it, until
it helped them breathe and dream and find a way forward. It’s
part of a map that shows us how we get out of this place. Keep
going. Do your part. Love you-Mom
Thank you for reading this week’s Happy List.
The answer to the riddle is “part” and “trap.” Did you get it right?
Be good to yourself and others this weekend.
I’ll see you back here on Monday.
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