Our First Everything Post
What I’m Reading, How I’m Doing Self Care, Something I Bought, and Other Noticings
There’s a certain newsletter format that I’ve noticed bubbling up from several creators here and elsewhere. I really like reading them, so I thought I’d try my hand and writing one. And if it’s fun—for you, for me—we’ll incorporate them into our regular repertoire.
They take this from of essentially “Everything I A, B, C’ed This Month.” Everything I purchased, noticed, ate, saw, went to—it’s a really loose format, but it really gives you this amazing glimpse into the person themselves and what they actually get up to.
It’ll be an expanded version of Click On This, essentially, plus a little more personal (and even a little less formal, more random, which we love around here, of course).
So! Everything. Let’s do it.
1. Button-maker
I got a button-maker!! I got it to run a little activity at my kids’ school May Fair (imagine: may pole, fiddle music, flower crown, parade of cakes, and you’ve got it). I had pre-printed and cut little circles with the school’s name and logo for kids to color in and make into buttons. Wee anarchists saw right through my not-so-subtle attempt at marketing, creating their own designs and even trying to press flowers in there. Next year I think I will press flowers in advance because that idea rules (and fresh flowers, pressed into buttons, get gross and funky fast—lesson learned).
2. More-Than-A-Facial with Melanie
My favorite facial in Maine, and maybe anywhere, is with Melanie Herring in nearby-to-me Rockport. Anyone who’s had one knows it’s so much more than moving goop around your face. There’s reiki and I think other energy work involved. She’s really incredible and intuitive and by the end you feel like you’ve had a full body massage, lighter and more integrated, I swear. I was emerging from a particularly hectic period in my world and thought, the antidote is to book with Melanie. But then! I (and her whole client list) got an email announcing that she’s shifting her practice away from facials to focus on the rest of her offerings. If you’re visiting Maine (or are already here), I can’t recommend her services enough. She also does smaller pop-ups throughout the summer, so keep an eye on Instagram and/or sign up to receive her emails.
3. Olla Clay Watering Vessels
Growing tomatoes is sort of a fool’s errand where I live (Owls Head is foggier and mistier more days of the summer than they’d prefer)… And yet! Last year, we were deeply in drought, which made the whole scene even more laughable and pathetic. This year, I’m going to try growing them in bags with one of these watering vessels buried in the center. This “irrigation technology,” is thought to have originated in North Africa 4000 years ago and was picked up and used widely by the Romans. Will report back!
4. Spending Time with Henry, Again
Henry Miller is and remains one of my favorites of all-time. I had been dipping into more contemporary fiction recently, but I came across The Wisdom of the Heart, a collection of essays I had not read, a couple months ago and decided to pick it up. It’s really, really good to inhabit his brainspace again. Irreverent, sure, cranky, always, but then there are these passages that just sort of bowl you over. Imagine being able to write this way!
I had to admit, above all, that for the first time in my life I was witnessing a philosopher lose himself in the world—not only lose himself, but drown himself, and not only drown but immolate himself: had to admit that more miraculous still was the sight of him rising from the grave with a stake through his body, the sight of him defiantly flinging it off—stake, world, water, waves, heavy ether, soporific excrescences, end dreams, blood vistas, horoscopic hallucinations, dead thought clinkers, social pus habits, all, all, the while making an airy music above the pink clouds drenching the mountain tops.
And yes, it does look like we also may have HVM to thank for my own love of run on sentences and em-dashes!
5. Portola Lime Wash
Some people are coming to take photos of our house (!!) at the end of July, which is a great kick in the pants to finish up projects that are halfway done and/or long abandoned. One of the big ones is painting over the stones of our fireplace. After six years in this house, this winter I finally decided I actually really didn’t like them. I got one side 80% primed enough to put up color samples, but… That’s where I left it. I am still not sure which of the colors to choose after all (help me below?). I’m looking at the lime wash options from Portola Paints, which I used once before in my eldest kid’s room. I’m thinking that the lime effect will keep the fireplace feeling mineral, even if it’s a single color and not as variegated as the actual stone.
The samples I put up were sort of old, so I’m back to the color fan. Here are the colors I’m thinking about:
What do you think? Please help!
And if anyone else wants to come and help me with this list of things to tinker on before being in front of a camera… By all means come pick up a paintbrush with me!
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I mean—I could go on, but let’s leave it there for now. Everything post! I had fun, but the real question is: Did you? Should we do more?
Octagonal sink (!) in Encino! (LINK)
This could be so useful for so many different things. I sort of like imagining it in a kitchen? (LINK)
TRULY excellent sinks this week! (LINK)
Lil cutie in Austin. (LINK)
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I like this. It seems like you are letting people see your ordinary/extra-ordinary life. There is a word that describes the moment when you realize that other people have fully-formed lives, and aren't just bit players in yours. But I can't remember it. Dried flowers in buttons is a cool idea- and there is nothing wrong with em-dashes!
loved this too!