What’s up, buttercups? My mom and I went to visit my grandma this past weekend, and this week at work it’s all about Thanksgiving promotion. Not gonna lie, I’m getting a little sick of thinking about turkeys and pies. : ) Oh, and winter has returned! Usually, with the turning of the seasons I feel a gripping sense of nostalgia for a day or two. As the days turned to Fall, my friends and I agreed that it happens to all of us! The only sound explanation I could settle on was that, without any recent recollections involving the current climate, your mind turns to years past as a way to make sense of the new season. The result, a flood of memories and melancholy. However, the recent snow and drop in temperature didn’t pull me into that place. I think because my eyes are cast ahead, in the best of ways. But perhaps, it’s just because winter arrived too brusquely and it’s taken us all by surprise. In any case, stay warm out there and here are some links for your Wednesday…

What’s in my Bag: Reporting on Ebola Edition

Give the gift of food this season. Donate to your local food pantry.

My mom is the coolest!

Tonight Show Family Feud

Adoption is beautiful.

Pack up the car and take a day trip in Kentucky.

Artists attempting to breathe new life into a mostly vacant neighborhood in Columbus.

Has anyone seen this movie? I’d love to see it!

I hope to one day have a similar weekly ritual.

I’ve been feeling called to Paris lately.

Is the narrative that smart kids “get out” of their small towns insulting to those who choose to stay? Does grooming kids to leave merely perpetuate the problems inherent in the area they are trying to escape? Read this interesting piece about rural return.

Trolling Dr. Oz is my favorite genre of trolling.

And finally–a beautiful essay on Gordon Lightfoot and why we choose to listen to the music we do. (Spoiler alert: it’s written by my brother.)