🎃 Cozy Summerween Reading Day 👻

Hello there, Folk of the Hollow!

It’s been a minute since my last post, hasn’t it? I’m sorry to say that as the summer heat has rolled in over the cottage, my energy levels have dropped significantly. I always forget in the springtime, when we are fresh out of winter and all the possibilities of the outdoors is once again open to us and the weather is a cool and inviting 70 degrees, but I am simply not built for warm climates. Most people feel the seasons negatively affect their moods in the winter—but I, dear Hollowfolk, feel those pains in the summer.

But I have tried to soldier on, despite my nature. I have tried to do more outside despite the heat, tried valiantly to keep up that garden I promised you (and myself) that I would do this year—but as the temperatures began to tick up into the nineties, and the humidity has risen exponentially thanks to the nearly constant rain we’ve been having this year (I’m all for the rain, I love the rain, I just don’t like it when it leaves the strangling humidity behind). As time has worn on, however, I realized that I was forcing myself to swim upstream in a way. I am best indoors, with the windows drawn, and the air conditioning keeping me nice and cold.

Maybe I am less a goblin, and more a vampire?

I have also—per usual—been causing undue stress on myself. This is a part of my personality I struggle with the most (but you know that already from past posts, so I won’t wax poetic about it here) but it has gotten to the point where I’m trying to pour from an empty cup and use spoons when I’ve no spoons to use.

Today, I have endeavored to rest. For me, that means a whole day with cozy drinks and a good book in my favorite room in the entire cottage—my library!

I started the day off with my favorite cold drink in what is turning into my favorite mug to use during the summer (summertime, it seems, is when my gothic side comes out and I enjoy all things black, horror, and pumpkin-y!). The idea with this combo, along with the candle you can likely already see in the next picture, is to emulate the fall / Halloween vibes. It will be October today at the cottage and not at all July.

I love the cold caramel macchiato from Starbucks (I mean, I got it from the grocer, but you know what I mean) and it’s one of my comfort drinks all year round, but especially in the summer. I love caramel coffees but sometimes you just can’t stomach a hot drink.

I paired this caramel coffee with the calming aroma of my Bath and Body Works Caramel Drizzle candle. I realized last year, when once again summer had run wreaked havoc on my mental health, that simply lighting a candle that makes me think of Halloween is enough to turn the tides. It was obvious that I couldn’t have a “pretend it’s fall” day without my trusty caramel scented candle!

I also made use of my vintage looking bluetooth speaker, and listened to the Silent Hill 2 Remake soundtack for literally the entire day. Unless I stopped and watched a little television for a break, it was all Silent Hill all the time!

I love listening to Silent Hill music when I’m reading horror. It simply sets the mood the best!

My sweet and wonderful Wednesday decided to join me for my cozy day in the library, and sat on her favorite chair! Fun fact: that chair used to be downstairs in the living room, and it was her favorite chair to snuggle up on and sleep! Naturally, now that it’s in the office it is specially reserved for her. I wanted to give her a bundle of blankets to burrow in (she loves to burrow) but she seemed so comfortable I didn’t want to disturb her! She sat in her chair like the polite little lady she is and just vibed with me the entire afternoon 💕.

At last it was time to get reading! Danny and I watched The Haunting of Hill House earlier in the year (tore through it, more like, and then followed it up with a full Mike Flannigan Cinematic Universe marathon) and it made me want to read the book. I bought it back in 2019 but, for some reason, wasn’t able to get into it back then. Now that I’ve picked up again, I’m absolutely hooked. All I’ve wanted to do all week was snuggle in with this book and have a full reading marathon!

My little ghost bookmark from Spooky Box Club (R.I.P Spooky Box Club) and I are ready for our marathon! I lost him for about a year, until we re-did my library and in the course of putting things away I found him tucked underneath a bunch of books! He’s supposed to glow in the dark, and that’s cool and all, but I’m not sure in what situation I’m going to be seeing my bookmark in the dark?

Either way, he’s cute and I love him 💕 and it’s appropriate to have him in a book about a haunted house!

Now the reading can begin!

After my coffee was gone, I stopped for some apple cider! I knew it would be good, but I think I was unprepared for just how good. It really hit the spot, and helped facilitate the “it’s not July, it’s October” vibes that I was going for today!

I ended up reading until about an hour ago (and I started at 10) when I realized I was getting sleepy from it and wasn’t retaining any of the information I was reading—and the book was too good for me to just keep needlessly pushing myself through it. In a little while we’ll probably go into the theatre and play Death Stranding 2, which has been fantastic so far! All-in-all I feel like today has been a really good one and has actually helped me get my head back on straight. All the stuff I’ve been stressing out about lately has been put into perspective, and I think I can move forward with a little more confidence than I was before.

So let this be a reminder: Rest is productive!

But anyway, I think this will be where I end the post. I hope you guys are having a good Fourth of July holiday weekend! What are you doing for the weekend?

I’ll see you next time!