In the past month, I’ve gone on my two longest (and most memorable!) bike rides yet: a scenic 28-mile route along Lake Champlain and a quirky 38-mile midnight architecture tour around Boston. Three years ago, I wouldn’t have believed it. I’d purchased my secondhand bike (which has since been stolen, RIP) in April 2022, and at the time I was so scared to ride it that I wheeled it home. The idea that biking would one day become my primary means of transport seemed unthinkable.

And yet, here we are. It took time, a few lessons at a bike school, and repeated exposure to go from someone who thought every bike ride would end in disaster to a gal who *gasp* bikes for fun. (Moving to Cambridge, with its abundance of clearly demarcated bike lanes, definitely helped too.) It’s devastating that I’m about to leave bike-friendly New England right as I’m hitting my stride!

That departure happens in a week, and I’m already feeling nostalgic for everything in this city: the T, the Esplanade, my running path, the conveniently ubiquitous BlueBike stations, even my office. After a few weeks in New York, I’ll be heading back to Texas until the end of the year. And as excited as I am for what’s to come during that period, it’s hard to say goodbye.

Recent weeks have thus been a haze of Facebook Marketplace sales and giveaways to my local Buy Nothing group. My dining set sold much sooner than I expected, so I’ve spent several weeks working and eating from a yoga mat in the kitchen. (There was a brief period when I used a futon and side table, but those have since been sold too.) Honestly, no complaints though—with this Substack in mind, perhaps this is a healthier setup since I’m changing positions and getting up more frequently. That’s what I’m telling myself, at least.

Although there’s been a fair share of Facebook Marketplace hiccups, I’ve found the process of paring down my possessions pretty satisfying. I wouldn’t call myself a minimalist, but I’ve definitely become a more conscious consumer over the years, and part of that transformation has made me want to own fewer things. (My clothing no-buy, which began January 1st, is still going strong.) I’ve also developed a strong preference for secondhand items, so when I do a more permanent move next spring, I’m hoping to source most of my furniture from Facebook Marketplace.

In other news, my boyfriend and I recently took an extended weekend trip to Vermont. The three days we spent there were so relaxing and much-needed, especially after a particularly stressful period at work (and in life as a whole). Burlington was extremely cute, with a lively downtown and gorgeous views of the water. We got daily “creemees” (that’s what Vermonters call soft-serve! Regular ice cream is “hard ice cream”), ate a lot of fresh produce and cheese, and heard a good bit of French from Canadian tourists.

The highlight of the trip was the day we rented bikes and took the long ride I’d mentioned earlier along Lake Champlain. There was a blissful stretch of that ride where we were surrounded by water on both sides. I’d seen photos of that section online, but actually being there was unbeatable. Apparently, it was a former railroad that was later converted into a bike path, also known as a “rail-trail.”

Something that also surprised me about Burlington was the size of its homeless population. My boyfriend, who’d spent years in the state, hadn’t remembered it being like this. I’ve since learned that Vermont had the 4th highest rate of homelessness in the US in 2024; from cursory research, it seems like the primary factors driving this are a lack of affordable housing and the end of a pandemic-era eviction moratorium.

On our way back to Boston, we also stopped by Shelburne Farms. We arrived just as they were about to walk the goats (apparently that’s a thing!!), and they even let me lead one up a hill before removing its leash so it could frolic and snack. This farm also had horses, sheep, donkeys, pigs, and a dairy cow named Jeannine, who I absolutely fell in love with.

My soft spot towards animals has only gotten stronger since Coconut’s passing, and this visit renewed my commitment to living in a way that reflects that. For several months now, I’d been experiencing inner conflict over the disconnect between my values and consumption of meat. After reading Eating Animals in late 2021, I stopped eating meat at home and began ordering vegetarian while out. Even though it’s a pretty common dietary restriction, this felt like a big imposition on others: it meant not sharing plates at restaurants, not making certain dishes with loved ones, or turning away home-cooked food. So this eventually loosened to “I’ll only eat meat in Texas,” which then became “I’ll only eat meat when dining out, but never at home,” followed by a few more iterations with slight tweaks.

Before this trip I’d only been eating meat once or twice a week, but it was still enough to feel the misalignment internally. Since Vermont, I’ve gone back to being primarily plant-based in and outside the home, and this small change has made me feel so much more at peace. And to be clear, I don’t think eating meat is morally wrong. Humans are biologically omnivores, so I’d even say it’s completely natural. But I do have ethical, environmental, and sanitary objections to the modern meat industry that make me want to personally opt-out except for a really special occasion or, say, a good ol’ fashioned American cheeseburger once a quarter lol.

Anyways, I’m looking forward to more trips! Even though Vermont was just a four-ish hour drive away, it was a good reminder of how enriching it can be to get out of one’s own city. In the coming months I’ve also got trips to New York, Switzerland, Asheville, and Austin to look forward to.

As usual, I’ll end with some recent snapshots: views of the Boston skyline from my last Esplanade run (!!) and East Boston; an art exhibit at the ICA Watershed; a lasagna I made to use up noodles and a can of tomato sauce before the move; a game of Solitaire with actual playing cards (sooo satisfying); a recent dinner of couscous and roasted veggies; a relaxing Saturday morning spent reading from the yoga mat (in the bowl is my latest breakfast obsession: cottage cheese with berries and maple syrup); the Middlebury Language Pledge, which was in effect when we visited during the Vermont trip; and my prize for winning my library’s summer reading challenge.

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