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Em's avatar

I loved every moment of this newsletter!!! Thank you so much for the good-hearted reality TV recco's.

What's bringing me both joy and hope is a website and newsletter called FixTheNews.com, where they report stories of genuine progress. They've eliminated malaria in Egypt — for the first time in 8,000 years! Dolphins have come back to the North Sea! Also (an excerpt):

Did you know that in the past five years, over 100 million people in Africa have gained access to electricity? Liberia has seen access go from 5% in 2017 to 35% today, Rwanda has gone from 6% in 2009 to 75% today, Nigeria is now at 70%, up from 50% a decade ago, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea have reached 90%, and Rwanda, Senegal and Kenya are all targeting universal access by 2030.

https://fixthenews.com if you want more! I turn to it every time I despair.

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Marcie Alvis Walker (she/her)'s avatar

OMG it's like the Goodgood Newsletter! I'm signing up for it right now!

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Amiee Kellogg's avatar

Thanks for recommending this! I am going to add it to my "things to read that won't send me into a wrecked nervous system spiral" list.

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Marcie Alvis Walker (she/her)'s avatar

Ooooohhhh… subscribing now!!!

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Bryce Tolpen's avatar

Even your interludes between essays are tops! What's keeping my life beautiful? Glad you asked! Taking to baking again, now with artificial sweeteners like fruit, stevia, birch tree sugar, and coconut palm sugar. And I made Cincinnati chili with 12 spices this morning. And I helped launch our fire pit this week. Yesterday I stole branches from neighbors' yards to get the fire started. I've been good!

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Marcie Alvis Walker (she/her)'s avatar

Food is such a healer for the any kind of heartache and food that also heals our bodies is even better!!! what's the best thing you've baked so far? I've done brownies with bananas instead of sugar and those turned out great. I've lost the recipe unfortunately.

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Bryce Tolpen's avatar

Apple pie. I use Granny Smith apples with barely enough sugar, so it’s real tart. The crust is everything — lots of Crisco and butter. My mother preached against sugar most of my life, but when she got older my apple pie got her hooked on it again. By the time she was in the retirement place, she was eating dessert twice a day.

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Marcie Alvis Walker (she/her)'s avatar

Dessert twice a day!! love it.

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Mary Austin (she/her)'s avatar

I love this! And how delightfully wise to clean out your house stuff waaay before your big events. That’s a master class in preparation.

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Marcie Alvis Walker (she/her)'s avatar

Or a master class on crazy procrastination! But I like your perspective better!

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Sarah C's avatar

Ooh, love the idea of an essay on magic - I like how you call it "heartfelt"!

Beautiful things: I joined a small book club, made fermented pickles for the first time, and am reviving my ginger beer brewing habit. And the sun is shining! Here's one that makes me smile (I'm in a different city): My mom just hosted a "Happy Party" and invited around 30 neighbors to meet one another, share and celebrate the good things in life, and sent them off with flower seeds. How cute is that!

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Marcie Alvis Walker (she/her)'s avatar

Oh my goodness! A "Happy Party" is just downright delightful. And 30 neighbors turned out!!! See, we are all still joining and connecting! yay....

PS I love love love making pickling. I love pickling anything. But Shannan Martin has a great recipe for pickles. Pickles and ginger beer? I mean that's just sweet tart delight upon delight.

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ReRe's avatar

Your husband sounds like a wonderful guy!

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Marcie Alvis Walker (she/her)'s avatar

You have no idea. I have know idea how I got so lucky. He is probably the kindest, most genuine, most grounded person I've ever met in my life. Plus... he's handsome 😉

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Kim Hardy's avatar

Thank you for that wobble video. It put a smile on my face and a sway in my hips. I needed that.

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Marcie Alvis Walker (she/her)'s avatar

Love a good line dance!

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Mae Wagner's avatar

Hey, it’s two birthdays and an anniversary season over here too! And I adore EH books! I love this post and this celebratory time for you!

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Marcie Alvis Walker (she/her)'s avatar

We're twining!!!!! I love it!!!!! Which is your favorite EH book? I really, really loved Funny Story. I mean, I loved them all – but I just loved how broken and messy and resilient all the characters were. My kind of people.

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Susan Beebe's avatar

Cheers to all your celebrations! Cheers to cleaning out closets and organizing! Cheers to great books and authors! Cheer to you writing another book!

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Marcie Alvis Walker (she/her)'s avatar

Thank you friend 🥰

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Christina Mushayamunda's avatar

Well I think your husband has given you the inspiration write a book on happily ever afters. There is such a beauty in the deep love of intimacy!

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Marcie Alvis Walker (she/her)'s avatar

Awww.. thank you for this.

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Amiee Kellogg's avatar

Happy anniversary, birthday and graduation to your sweet family :)

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Marcie Alvis Walker (she/her)'s avatar

thanks old friend!!!!

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Janet Robertson she/her's avatar

A college graduation!!!!that's huge! Just slipped in there! Oh congratulations 🎊

Yesterday we got a huge amount of photos from the wedding by a friend. They're not arty & I'm not skinnier 🤣 but they capture the day and what a wayside service is like even when the pastor isn't wearing a robe & a 🌈 /trans stole! It was great to relive the love.

Happy anniversary to you! I think we really need to celebrate those moments right now, even as we weep for those who can't. Reaching out in a hug to the whole world (I've been reading Henri Nouwen).

Guilty pleasures books wise: Georgette Hester's historic novels either print or audio.

I began reading Georgette Heyer in my teens- loving her feisty heroines & often grumpy males. My mum was all sneers about her until she was in bath on a Jane Austen society tour (yep) and was told how well Heyer researched.

Her books are camp, with some mediocre but I recommend These Old Shades for gender bending & libertines,

The Grand Sophy &

Frederica

Enjoy!

💜💜💜

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Marcie Alvis Walker (she/her)'s avatar

I love camp books! The campier the better.

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Janet Robertson she/her's avatar

If you can find "these old shades"..you & max & simon can delight in the glittering skirts worn by the men & the crazy red headed Comte Saint De Vire. Redheads you know. Their hair matches their temper. Hee hee.

I didn't like the guy who narrated it on borrowbox audio..

Then the sequel to these Old Shades = Devils Cub??

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Marcie Alvis Walker (she/her)'s avatar

Well, I am married to a very viking-gy bearded 6-foot Ginger hobbit. So yep, I know all about those red-heads and their tempers 🖤

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Heather Bartlett's avatar

Congratulations on all the wonderful things happening together! For me it is simple things bringing me joy lately - a sweet kiss from my hubs, baking bread, breakfast with a friend, and cuddling my pup.

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Marcie Alvis Walker (she/her)'s avatar

All of those things are joys I am well-acquainted with – except I've never baked bread. Buns, rolls, cakes and pies- yep! But I think I might try my (not so skilled) hand at bread.

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