July's Letter
I woke up on the sofa,* the morning light slowly gathering through the windows, the sound of the creek, of birdsong, of another day spilling in. Every window was open, and I lay there, snuggled under afghans in the cool morning air, wondering if this is what it's like sleeping and waking in a screened-in porch.
They are the places in summer novels where iron beds with squeaky springs and soft, comfy mattresses are heaped with handmade quilts and puffy down pillows, where sisters and cousins, in their babydoll nightgowns, giggle and sing in the darkness as the crickets keep time.
Where, on a late weekend morning, you might settle in with a scone, a cup of tea, a book, and an abundance of unsliced time.
Where you're inside, but it feels like outside and all it really is, is every window in the room flung wide open.
Yes, I think to myself, it's just like that.
*The result of a middle-night shift so my dear husband's coughing fits were a little further away. Poor guy, it's not fun being sick in summer.
Have you heard the news? We’re soon to move into our new home over on Substack! Just as soon as I’ve got the art hung and the pillows fluffed…
Momentes Lately
Soooo close!
Strawberries + rhubarb
High water and the stone held firm
Pop Tarts. Because, jam
June’s cotton snow (from the cottonwood trees)
Reading Lately
Everything All At Once - She is a master with words. Such beauty found in the raw and real experience of loss and love. Memoir is one of my favorite to read because it gives a look into another’s soul, another’s walk through life. For me, these stories aren’t prescriptive, but descriptive of humanity and the individual experience of it. It helps me better understand.
Easy Camp Cookbook - I saw this on a friend’s bookshelf, and I was so intrigued, I purchased a used copy. (Did you know? You can buy books from used booksellers on Amazon?) From car camping to backpacking, there are recipes and ideas for making wilderness meals easy and well.
Eating Lately
Strawberry Rhubarb Jam - With rhubarb from my patch (plus more from my neighbor’s), and a flat of organic strawberries from the small local market, I made jam.
Homemade Pop Tarts - There comes a time on a summer afternoon when a mama just has to take some of that homemade jam, spread it between layers of pastry, and slide it into a hot oven to bake, for her son. Sweet-tart, flaky, and full of love. From The Homemade Pantry.
Favorites Lately
This. Because gingham, and picnics, and summer all go together. (It’s wipeable! And it has corner weights!)
Miss M. Mae lost her tag. So, I ordered another (plus on extra, just in case)
Create a scene! (A recent design project installation - we’re all in love)
Now I know (the little yellow and black one is an American goldfinch!
By the sea (my kind of house)