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

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Season 13 Lindsey Season 13 Lindsey

The Pantry (Encore)

Our story tonight is called “The Pantry,” and it’s a story about a chore that becomes a sort of meditation. It’s also about neat rows of cans with their labels all turned the same way, the satisfaction of a job well done, and taking care of little you, even once you’re all grown up.

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Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

Out Like a Lamb

Our story tonight is called Out Like a Lamb, and it’s a story about the changeable month of March and a day spent enjoying a bit of both winter and spring. It’s also about a book read in the bath, the luxury of a slow start to the day, sunlight warming the floorboards, a pot of pansies dusted with snow, and making peace with a bit of chaos, in and out.

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Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

Sugar Snow (Encore)

Our story tonight is called “Sugar Snow,” and it’s a story about shifting seasons. It’s also about pots of pansies, breakfast for dinner, and the people and places that teach us to play.

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Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

Mudlarking on the River, Part 2

Our story tonight is called Mud Larking 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, imagination, and seeing the things around us with new eyes.

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Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

First This, Then That (Encore)

tonight is called First This, Then That, and it’s a story about a bit of Spring cleaning on a sunny day. It’s also about watching birds at their feeder, sharing things with your neighbors, and the joy of finding something forgotten in an old coat pocket.

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Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

Mudlarking on the River, Part 1

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 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

The Bridge in the Woods

A story about a break in the cold weather and the boost that comes from warm sunlight on your face. It’s also about woodpeckers and spring melt flowing fast, the wonders of libraries, and the kindness of people who you might never meet but have cleared a path for you.

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Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

Mixtape (Encore)

Our story tonight is called Mixtape, and it’s a story about a box of memories tangled up with songs. It’s also about the messages we send with the tracks we pick out, new batteries in an old Walkman, and finding the music that helps you find yourself.

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Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

Muddy Paws

Our story tonight is called Muddy Paws, and it’s a story about a walk outside with Village pups Crumb and Birdie and the inevitable aftermath. It’s also about a rubber ducky, a field full of good spots to stop and sniff, a bed laid out in the sunshine, and the feeling of being safe and content at home with family.

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Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai Season 13 Kathryn Nicolai

Quiet Celebration (Encore)

Our story tonight is called Quiet Celebration, and it’s a story about softly stepping into the next year of your life. It’s also about a good dream that lingers after waking, a glass raised with best wishes and a cake decorated with orange slices and rosettes.

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