You know that when I update ‘Coffee & Chiffon‘ later in the day as opposed to bright and early in the mornings – when I’m usually awake, alert, and at my most productive – that I am either deep in my feelings or am extremely busy, and this week has been a bit of both so far.
Things at my job have been hectic and somewhat chaotic given the amount of people taking their end-of-Summer vacations all at once, adjusting their schedules since their kids are returning to school for the year, or are simply moving on towards other positions that better suit them and their skills. My caseload has tripled in recent days to accommodate all the sudden changes, and I’ve spent the first half of this week trying to organize, prioritize, and categorize (and any other “ize” you can think of!) everything to save myself a lot of headaches down the road – but my goodness, I am exhausted!
And then yesterday’s news that we’d lost the one and only Dolly Parton – the closest to a literal angel on Earth that we may ever get to experience in this lifetime – tore through me in a way I wasn’t expecting. I sobbed and mourned (and am still mourning) someone I admired so greatly and respected so thoroughly. My boyfriend, bless his heart, took me out to dinner last night to try and cheer me up, followed by a cocktail at my favorite bar – who were playing a VHS of ‘9 to 5’ on their TV after we’d arrived – so it was a bittersweet night, indeed.
Dolly’s passing reminds me of other larger-than-life figures I grew up idolizing, whose work I enjoyed throughout different stages of my life and whose deaths I never expected and shook me to my core – like David Bowie and Prince. She seemed to transcend life and time itself, and part of me just assumed, naively, that she’d be around forever because of how iconic she was and how much of a genuinely good and decent human being she had been throughout her life. The world feels less fun, less sparkly, and less optimistic without her in it.
And to find out Tim Curry died earlier today? This was not what I wanted for my end-of-the-Summer scrapbook!
I digress. The tributes that had been pouring in, like the Empire State Building and bridges around Boston going pink to honor her, has been such a beautiful thing to see. She was a treasure that was beloved by everyone – and that’s such an accomplishment in itself! We could all learn something from Dolly Parton.
Before all the news, I had originally planned on sharing a recent trip I’d made to Ward’s Berry Farm in Sharon to pick up locally sourced produce and pasta (since everything is contaminated now!) and to check out their recently opened sunflower maze. While I didn’t try my hand at escaping the maze – although it did look fun! – I did grab a ton of sweet corn, fresh peppers, and berries while I was there.
My drive to Ward’s took me through Foxborough, and given the upcoming NFL season – I was inspired to take another mini-road trip soon to grab some gear – so I’m sure I’ll be writing about that when it happens!
Later on this week, I’ll be sharing a few of the purchases/finds and music releases (among other things!) that I’ve been really loving over this past month before we wind down August 2026 for good. Bring on September, I say!
See you all then! Be good to each other!
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 