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 donate to a non-profit. View past episode and charity list.

 

Unwind like never before with the Nothing Much Happens Wind-Down Box—a curated selection of Kathryn’s favorite relaxation essentials! 

Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

Dandelions & Mayapples (Encore)

Our story tonight is called Dandelions and Mayapples, and it’s a story about a trip down to the creek on a spring afternoon. It’s also about a bench on the bank where the sound of the water echoes, rhododendrons, and stone steps, and giving yourself the grace to ebb and flow.

Read More
Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

Date Night

Our story tonight is called Date Night. It is about a bike ride to a place where X marks the spot on a hand-drawn map. It’s also about lavender lemonade, minnows in the shallows, wagging tales, and toast made while the dogs wind a leash around your ankle.

Read More
Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

Opening Up The Cottage (Encore)

Our story tonight is called “Opening the Cottage,” and it’s a story about the first day back in a well-loved, familiar place. It’s also about the little traditions that make up the history of a family, a sandwich eaten on the end of a dock, and the soft, happy feeling of summer arriving.

Read More
Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

Tell The Bees

A comforting story intended to soothe heavy or grieving hearts, following a journey through a clover-filled path toward good listeners. It involves a new home for a rosebush, four-leaf clovers, a house with shutters and gopher trails, and the cathartic act of speaking up when ready.

Read More
Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

Petrichor (Encore)

Our story tonight is called "Petrichor." It’s about things getting greener as the spring rain falls. It’s also about a record player with a favorite album on the turntable, deer dozing in the grass, and making a habit of enjoying yourself.

Read More
Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

A Month of Sundays

Our story tonight is called A Month of Sundays, and it’s a story about finding a way to make time for rest and enjoyment. It’s also about a tin box of recipe cards, a neatly made bed with the corner folded down, aunts and idioms, porch swings and school buses, and the delight of one of the best days of the week.

Read More
Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

A Dance In The Park (Encore)

Our story tonight is called "A Dance in the Park." It’s about coming back into the world after a bit of time spent alone. It’s also about a glass of pink hibiscus tea, window shopping on a downtown street, and moving to the music on a sunny day.

Read More
Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

Cinder and the Springtime

Our story tonight is called Cinder and the Springtime. It’s about a gift given to returning neighbors on a bright, warm day. It’s also about moss and pine needles, a bicycle basket made special for a friend, practical magic, and gratitude for the ones we share our space with.

Read More
Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

The Tulip Farm (Encore)

Tonight, our story is called The Tulip Farm, and it’s about a bright spring day among beds of flowers. It’s also about a gift left at dawn, redwing blackbirds, and soft moments that take your breath away.

Read More
Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

The Back Stairs

Our story tonight is called The Back Stairs, and it’s a story about a bit of spring cleaning at the Inn by the lake. It’s also about the special features and details in old houses, clever engineering, the honesty of the patina, and a space where imperfection is welcome.

Read More
Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

A Block From Home (Encore)

Our story tonight is called A Block From Home, and it’s a story about the feeling of coming home after a long day and finding a quiet place to rest. It’s also about the feeling of being on your own time and having the space to do something or to do nothing at all.

Read More
Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

Piano Lessons

Our story tonight is called Piano Lessons. It’s about a well-loved upright piano and the boy who plays it. It’s also about a little cottage where ivy grows up the bricks, middle C, lesson books, and metronomes, and finding the things that feel like they were always meant for you.

Read More
Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

In The Bakery (Encore)

Tonight, our story is called “In the Bakery.” It’s about a weekend morning when bagels and bread were among us. It’s also about old cookbooks full of notes, being proud of what you do, and a secret ingredient handed down from baker to baker.

Read More
Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

New Friends at Weathervane Farm

Tonight, our story is called New Friends at Weathervane Farm, and it’s about a busy spring morning at the sanctuary. It’s also about branches full of singing birds, fresh straw and rubber boots, new babies born in the stalls of the barn, and helping each other out along the way.

Read More
Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

The Front Door and the Back Door (Encore)

Our story tonight is called The Front Door and the Back Door. It’s about a bit of Spring Cleaning inside and outside the house. It’s also about butterflies drawn in chalk on the sidewalk, a message arriving at just the right moment, and seedlings waiting for their chance to grow.

Read More
Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

Sunrise at the Cabin

Our story tonight is called Sunrise at the Cabin, and it’s a story about welcoming the coming day with a friend at your side. It’s also about dry leaves left over from Autumn crunching under your feet, the beauty of imperfect things, changing light, a coffee cup steaming in the morning air, and the gift of an early start.

Read More
Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

Begin Again (Encore)

Our story tonight is called Begin Again, and it’s a story about a reset scheduled for the equinox. It’s also about sunrise watched from an open hatchback on a road outside of town, birds and squirrels ringing in the spring, and making your own rituals to mark a moment.

Read More
Season 13 Lindsey Season 13 Lindsey

On The Rooftop

Our story tonight is called On the Rooftop. It’s about the giddy first flush of real spring weather, baseball cards tucked into bike spokes, the benefits of small talk, barbecue grills lighting up for the first time in months, and the joy of seeing the world from a new perspective.

Read More