NB: The newsletter is taking a summer break … I’ll be back on July 11th.
Yesterday, a good friend spent the night with us en route to New Hampshire. Her visit really made it summer as my childhood June-July-Augusts were punctuated by similar visits from various friends of my parents who stopped for a night or two on their way to points north or south, each entering ever so briefly into the slipstream of our lives.
Last night we sat on the couch until 2 am, wrapped in blankets, talking about everything and nothing; catching up on the universe of people in each of our worlds. There’s nothing like the easy intimacy of an old friend. It humbles me to be on the receiving end of her steadfast attention and care; to be held in that kind of friendship is one of the great privileges of this life and one that I never take for granted.
A. Last night was deliciously cool and clear; the stars felt especially within reach as my friend and I drove to pick up Alex from a friend’s house at 10:30 pm, following winding roads and indecipherable GPS directions. I spotted this constellation finder earlier in the week.
B. We fit in a trip to a local lake this weekend, complete with beachcombing for snail shells, which made me yearn for an August trip to an ocean beach. I spotted this fancy towel ($$$) and was charmed, I suppose, by the fantasy it sells - of leisure, of time to get bored at the beach and play analog games with a pal - the fantasy of summer.
C. Tempted to try out this $36 set of towels with these game pieces. Not sure if the size of the squares on the towel will be quite right.
D. Earlier in the week, I stopped at my local bookstore and stocked up on my favorite green pens.
E. and also, once there, the see-through cover of this neon notebook beguiled me.
F. A forever shoutout to my favorite catch and release aquarium.
G. For years, I kept both the aquarium and one of these Hape toy shovels in the car. I love to see kids squatting by the water, digging, building, catching & releasing whatever they find.
H. We’ve had a string of bluebird days; I got out into the garden. I spooted this chic sunhat ($100) with a paracord tie.
I. And then saw this $40 version (but final sale!) and then the diy version (neon) and (electric blue) which is what I really need since I already have a hat but without the practical tie to stop it from blowing away.
J. All this summery summer time means that I re-ordered for the 5th time my favorite Elta MD sunblock - it is the only sunblock I reliably will use once I’ve purchased it. It isn’t sticky, it doesn’t smell, and it somehow makes me look much more put together than I ever feel.
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I include a few bonus finds here each week for paid subscribers as a small token of appreciation for making this newsletter possible.
I’ve been reaching for this striped sweater on more cool nights than not.
I’ve had this toothbrush holder for two years - it keeps my toothbrush off my tiny sink and even tinier sliver of counter.
One of the joys of my current job is that I have a lot of intergenerational friendships - and the chicest of the older ladies in my orbit has been rocking this Amazon dress in hot pink and orange. I’ve ordered it in a more sedate navy and will report back.
This chore worksheet has been a surprise success story with my 8-year-old. I slipped it into a clear document holder and taped up a dry-erase marker, and he has been just … doing his chores. Your mileage may vary, but it’s a free download…from Days with Grey. And! If you inadvertently upload it to Canva, as I did, you can edit all the components, which might make it more useful for your family and rhythms.
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