From the village of nothing much...

Let's get sleepy

Bedtime stories are like a soft landing spot for your mind. Rather than letting your brain race through the same thoughts you’ve been chasing all day, we are taking a detour to a calm and comfy place. We tell the story twice and go a bit slower the second time. Each week, we support a meaningful non-profit organization. Explore the causes we've contributed to in past episodes.

Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

Soap Bubbles and Sidewalks

Our story tonight is called Soap Bubbles and Sidewalks, and it’s a story about some spring cleaning done in the fresh air. It’s also about a curtain shifting near an open window, a hose and bucket, old CDs in the glovebox, clean that goes all the way into the corners, and the energy that returns when the spring does.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

Mudlarking on the River, Part 2 (Encore)

Our story tonight is called Mudlarking on the River, Part 2, and it’s a story about a search for ordinary treasures in the sand on a bright spring morning. It’s also about a coin with a hole through its center, the red and white pole of a barber shop, forsythia stems, curiosity, and imagination, and seeing the things around us with new eyes.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

Slightly More Happens - March Mutts and Meows

Our stories tonight speak to the magic of the Inn on the lake, a secret space behind a hidden door, coffee cake and cat companions, getting to redo a formative moment with your present day heart and mind, music and glimpses of mid-winter sun, and the hope that comes from bravely wearing your heart on your sleeve.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

Mudlarking on the River, Part 1 (Encore)

Our story tonight is called Mudlarking on the River, Part 1, and it’s a story about a sunny morning in early spring that inspires a walk along sandy banks. It’s also about ordering your usual at the bakery counter, Canada geese, and garden gloves, being gentle with yourself, and hidden treasure waiting to be unearthed.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

The Temperature Blanket

Our story tonight is called The Temperature Blanket, and it’s a story about a project inspired by a chance meeting and a yen to keep track of the days as they pass. It’s also about blank books and seashells, granny squares and garter stitches, rows of yarn blending into an account of the year, and taking a few moments each day to make something lasting and beautiful.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

Catnap (Encore)

Our story tonight is called Catnap and it’s a story about Marmalade the cat and Crumb the dog as they find ways to play through the winter. It’s also about a spark of something sweet that begins to grow between friends, a pup cup enjoyed on a heated patio, and a suitcase ready to be packed.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

Supper Club (Encore)

Our story tonight is called Supper Club, and it’s a story about adventures in cooking and friendship. It’s also about less being more, a bubbling pandowdy, and the patience it takes to carefully fold a dumpling.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

The Ducks in the Middle

Our story tonight is called The Ducks in the Middle, and it’s a story about a walk over snowy fields on a mid-winter day. It’s also about a collection of old watches in the back of the closet, stepping into a ray of sunshine and how it feels to have a friend watching out for you.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

Little Harmonies (Encore)

Our story tonight is called Little Harmonies, and it’s a story about small bits of ordinary magic that happen everyday. It’s also about new specials at the coffee shop, tulip bulbs, and a dog met at the mailbox. Notes jotted down in a journal, and the feeling that you’ve tuned into a special frequency that you might have missed before.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

Slightly More Happens - February fun

Our stories tonight speak to the magic of the Inn on the Lake, a secret space behind a hidden door, coffee cake and cat companions, getting to redo a formative moment with your present-day heart and mind, music and glimpses of mid-winter sun, and the hope that comes from bravely wearing your heart on your sleeve.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

Keepsake (Encore)

Our story tonight is called Keepsake, and it’s a story about stepping back through time to remember a particular rainy day. It’s also about sunflowers, the things our younger selves can teach us, and a scrap of something saved for years in a box.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

The Valentine in the Drawer, Part 2

Our story tonight is called The Valentine in the Drawer, Part Two. It’s a story about a cold February morning, made bright and warm by an envelope slipped into a mailbox. It’s also about fogged-up windows on a streetcar, a kettle about to whistle, red roses and marbles, galoshes stepped into with haste, and a small drawer in a desk filled with love notes.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

The Greenhouse (Encore)

Our story tonight is called The Greenhouse, and it’s a story about flowers and vases, and the deep green scent of plants in a warm space in the winter. It’s also about a silver wine bucket, music playing while you work, pine needles and mint, and the small and big ways of building the life you want.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

The Valentine in the Drawer

Our story tonight is called The Valentine in the Drawer, and it’s a story about a lost missive waiting to be found. It’s also about icicles and second-hand furniture, a sunny window alcove, and a coffee cup ring on a wooden desktop, hand-drawn hearts and flowers, and the residual fondness of a long-ago love.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

Sunny Skies (Encore)

Our story tonight is called Sunny Skies, and it’s a story about our little village of Nothing Much, stepping back into the light after a long winter storm. It’s also about small changes adding up over time, candle ice and frost flowers, letting the sun bathe your face after several gray days, and a small adventure to keep you going till Spring.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

In For the Night

It’s a story about a trip to a special shop in downtown Nothing Much. It’s also about glass jars filled with special ingredients, snowflakes landing on your eyelashes and mittened hands, the layered scents of aromatic spices, and having the space and time to calmly make and enjoy something warming and delicious.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

The Innkeeper’s Blanket (Encore)

Our story tonight is called The Innkeeper’s Blanket, and it’s a story about a favorite hobby, rediscovered in the quiet of winter. It’s also about a simmering pot in the kitchen, geese gathering before they fly, and making something by hand that is perfectly imperfect.

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Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai Season 17 Kathryn Nicolai

Slightly More Happens - January Delights

Our stories tonight lean into the winter season with tales of walks in the snow, time by the fire, thick blankets and hot drinks. If you’ve ever wished not so much to be warm as to be chilled first and then warmed with a blanket, these are for you.

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