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1:40

Welcome to Stories

1:42

from the Village of Nothing Much. Like

1:46

easy listening, but for fiction. I'm

1:51

Katherine Nicolai. I write and

1:53

read all the stories you'll hear on the Village

1:56

of Nothing Much. Audio

1:59

engineering and and sound design is by

2:01

Bob Witterchein. In

2:11

our show notes, you'll find links to

2:13

our ad-free premium version, our other shows,

2:16

merch, and our new wind-down box,

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a quarterly sleep subscription box full

2:20

of products I've hand-picked to bring

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a little more joy and ease

2:24

to your bedtime. I'm

2:27

here to take you into a lovely

2:30

little village where, yes,

2:32

not much happens, but there

2:35

is a lot to enjoy and be curious about.

2:38

I'm a lifelong reader, and I

2:40

love a good, twisty, suspenseful story,

2:44

but sometimes I'd come to my

2:46

book with an already worn-out heart

2:48

and brain, and

2:51

I just needed some gentle storytelling to

2:53

recharge me. And I

2:55

thought, if I felt that way, then

2:58

maybe others did too. And

3:01

hey, you're here now, so

3:04

I'm glad we found each other. So

3:07

these stories, they're meant to be therapeutic, enjoyable,

3:10

grounding. We recommend them as

3:13

an excellent accompaniment to a

3:16

walk, or your commute,

3:19

your chores, or a nice

3:21

hot bath. Now,

3:24

into the village we go,

3:27

and just because I think it will feel good,

3:29

let's take a deep breath in through your

3:32

nose and

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sigh from your mouth. Again,

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breathe in and let

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it go. Good.

3:57

Our stories today celebrate some of

3:59

the This

12:43

is it. Your moment. This

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is your time to make your comeback

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with Purdue Global. When you come back

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with a Purdue Global degree, you create

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opportunity for yourself, your family, and

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your future. It's a degree you can be

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proud of. A degree that employers will trust

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and respect. Purdue Global offers working

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adults like you over 175 flexible degree programs

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to meet your specific career goals.

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These include associate, bachelor's, master's, and

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doctoral degrees and certificates. Purdue Global

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degree programs range from nursing, to

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business, to communication and more. Whatever

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your interests, we have the degree

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that will move you forward. You

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have the knowledge. You have the experience.

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Now it's time to get credit for

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the work you've done and earn the

13:27

recognition you deserve with Purdue Global. Purdue's

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online university for working adults. You

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know you're worth it. We do too. So don't

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your comeback today at PurdueGlobal.edu.

18:00

fogged up shower door and hummed and

18:02

stared into space till I felt done

18:05

and was ready to step out. When

18:09

I was wrapped in fresh towels, I stepped over

18:11

to the window. The

18:13

light had changed and I pushed the curtain aside

18:15

to look into the yard. The

18:18

bright sun was hidden by a thick layer

18:20

of clouds and when I lifted the sash,

18:23

I could feel the humidity and heat had

18:25

gone. A storm

18:27

was coming. I was suddenly

18:29

giddy for it, knowing

18:31

it would be just what my garden needed

18:33

and would cool the house off for a

18:35

good night's sleep. I

18:38

dressed in my pajamas and combed out my hair.

18:40

I took a

18:42

moment to spread cream on my face and hands,

18:45

then went from room to room to crack the windows.

18:48

I kept the lights off where I didn't

18:50

need them, enjoying the gloom after so much

18:52

bright sun. It made my way

18:54

to the kitchen. Earlier,

18:57

I'd soaked a big bowl of bulgur

18:59

for tabbouleh. It was

19:01

the perfect summer salad for hot days, as

19:03

the grains could be made without turning on

19:05

the stove and it was

19:08

fresh and crunchy and just needed a few

19:10

ingredients. I

19:13

chopped cucumbers and tomatoes and scallions,

19:16

then ran my knife through a bunch of parsley

19:19

and a handful of fresh mint leaves and tossed

19:21

it with the bulgur in the bowl. I

19:24

squeezed lemon juice and drizzled olive oil

19:26

and sprinkled salt and pepper, tasting

19:28

as I went until it was

19:31

tart and delicious. I

19:34

spooned up a big portion onto a plate. I

19:37

sprinkled walnuts and pumpkin seeds on top

19:39

just because that sounded good and

19:42

carried it with a glass of iced tea out

19:44

onto my screened-in porch. The

19:48

rain was minutes away and

19:50

I set myself up in a comfortable chair to

19:52

wait for it, chewing

19:54

slowly and watching the light change.

19:58

There was a sudden gust of much

20:00

cooler air, and

20:02

then a sprinkle, and then

20:04

the rain fell in drenching currents all around

20:06

me. The

20:09

sound it made on the roof, at

20:11

first a pattering tattoo, grew to a

20:13

rushing wash like a wave cresting on

20:15

all sides. I

20:18

set my plate aside and stretched out in the

20:20

chair and closed my eyes, and

20:22

just listened to the rain. Through

20:26

the screens I could smell the water breaking

20:28

into the soil, that

20:31

fresh mineral scent, and

20:33

imagined heading out to the garden tomorrow in

20:35

mud boots. I

20:38

thought of the way the water would pool in

20:40

low places, how

20:42

the rabbits would find spots to drink that hadn't

20:44

been there the day before. And

20:48

the field down the slope on the far

20:50

edge of my yard was a marshy spot

20:52

among the trees that flooded easily, even

20:55

after short showers, and ducks would be bathing

20:57

in it by morning. Flipping

21:01

over in the water, splashing it under

21:03

their wings, and shuffling them

21:05

back together on their backs. The

21:08

temperature had dropped speedily as the rain

21:11

fell. It was at

21:13

least 10 degrees cooler than it had been when I

21:15

stepped out onto the porch. I

21:18

relished the feeling of being just

21:20

a little chilled, and took

21:22

a throw from the arm of the chair and tossed it

21:24

over my legs. As

21:27

quickly as it had come, the rain moved on. I

21:32

picked up my plate again and ate a few bites,

21:35

wondering if the sun would poke back out. I

21:39

hoped it wouldn't. The

21:41

break from the heat felt wonderful, and I knew

21:44

if the clouds moved out, the temperature

21:46

would shoot right back up. It

21:48

might even be stickier than it was before, with

21:51

all the fallen rain sitting on leaves

21:53

and blades of grass waiting to be

21:55

absorbed back into the air. I

21:59

had an old-fashioned barometer that I'd found

22:01

at a tag sale hung on the wall

22:03

behind me. I remembered

22:05

that it was more than a pretty

22:07

piece of walnut and polished glass case.

22:11

So I got up to look at it, squinting

22:13

at the dial, and saw that its needle was

22:15

spun well away from the fair weather mark and

22:18

had dropped below rain to where

22:20

Stormy was painted in large

22:23

copper plate letters. A

22:28

moment later, I saw a flash out of the

22:30

corner of my eye and

22:32

waited for the thunder to clap. When

22:37

it did and the rain began lashing

22:39

down again, it seemed

22:41

like my cue to carry my

22:43

things and myself back in and

22:46

enjoy the rest of the storm from the window

22:48

seat by the kitchen table. I

22:52

knew that when I tucked myself into bed and

22:55

felt the cool sheets against my skin with

22:57

a hard day's work behind me and

23:00

a night of rain and thunder ahead of me, I

23:03

would fall right to sleep. Music

23:39

This is it, your moment.

23:41

This is your time to make your

23:43

comeback with Purdue Global. When you come

23:46

back with a Purdue Global degree, you

23:48

create opportunity for yourself, your family,

23:50

and your future. It's a degree you can

23:52

be proud of, a degree that employers will

23:54

trust and respect. Purdue Global offers

23:57

working adults like you over 175 flexible degree

23:59

programs to

24:01

meet your specific career goals. These

24:03

include associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral

24:06

degrees and certificates. Purdue Global degree

24:08

programs range from nursing, to business,

24:10

to communication, and more. Whatever your

24:12

interest, we have the degree that

24:14

will move you forward. You

24:16

have the knowledge, you have the experience.

24:19

Now it's time to get credit for

24:21

the work you've done and earn the

24:23

recognition you deserve with Purdue Global. Purdue's

24:25

online university for working adults. You

24:28

know you're worth it. We do too. So don't

24:30

wait another second to get the degree that will

24:32

take your career to the next level. Start

24:35

your comeback today at purdueglobal.edu.

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