There’s a little black cat who has been hanging around the apothecary I work in. She’s the unofficial greeter & often hangs out during our new moon circle each month. Everyone just love her, so I made a sticker to honor her & the sassy magic she brings to our community.
This Jungian Life has been one of my favorite podcasts for many years and I really enjoyed this recent episode on AI. I’ve shared it with a few friends and family members so I thought [https://thisjungianlife.com/posthumanism/](I’d drop it here too..)
End of summer sage foraging results. I added some rosemary from the garden into these & a few rose petals too. They will have to dry for a bit, I can smell them all over the house✨
I’m being so for real when I say I do not need another puzzle.. I have at least 3 that I have not cracked open yet. The latest puzzle by piece work is so good though! Brew La La? I love it. Take my money! Anyone else a puzzle person?
Over the past few months I’ve been regularly sending postcards to my lady friend who live too far away. So.. I thought I’d make some of my own cyanotype postcards. Here is one I am particularly pleased with..
A tea time digital noodling… maybe I use it for a zine on how to blend your own tea and brew it well… 🤔🫖✨
I couldn’t wait to find out how it all came together but I did not want it to end.. what a wonderful book. Three paths to follow, I made assumptions about how they would play out & I was glad to be contuinously surprised. This was a recommendation from @wiggitywhitney & a joy to read 📚
Visiting the Midwest during corn season! We’ve had corn bread, sweet corn cookies & last night we feasted on corn ribs & an incredible miso corn soup with a side of tofu scramble & roasted pablanos. All from the farmers market. Incredible! A++
Spotted outside of one of my favorite restaurants.. having worked in restaurants for many years I know that this is someone’s favorite broom… and I just love that.
This weekend we visited the world’s largest bat colony outside of San Antionio. Arrived at 5:30am to see the bats come home for the day. It took 2ish hours for all of them to return. The sound was wild! You can see a live stream of the cave here: explore.org/livecams/…
So much of yesterday was spent outside in the sun - as it should be for the solstice. I swam, I straightened up the patio & I made some sun prints. This one was my favorite of the bunch. It is a photo of Barton Springs - an image I posted here a few weeks back. Happy Solstice!
My mom & I spent the weekend going through old photos & things of my father’s. He worked for MCA for 35+ years & in 1975 when Thr Who released Numbers, my dad threw a party for them in Houston Tx. He actually had the city change their name to Whoston for the day, so when the band entered city limits from the airport, they passed a sign that said WELCOME TO WHOSTON. I found an invitation to that party amongst his things. It is a tiny squeeze box, as a nod to the hit single on the album & all these years later it still makes a sound.
Ok, patting myself on the back here… feast your eyes upon the best chia pudding ever made! Blended with rich Valrhona cacao & some beet powder I had lying around, with a little maple syrup, topped off with some coconut whipped cream & cacao nibs.. Total win. Deeply satisfying. Easy peasy.
So much bee balm in central Texas this year! Far more bee balm than bluebonnets. This plant is part of the mint family and it has so many common names. Bergamot, Monarda, Horsemint, Indian perfume & Wild Oregano - to name a few. I just love her, she is very.. seussical.
I am so lucky to live near Barton Springs. I have been going every morning for a little while now. It’s the most relaxing & nourishing morning routine I’ve ever had.
You Can't Catch Death: A Daughter's Memoir by Ianthe Brautigan 📚
After “Machines of Loving Grace,” a poem by Richard Brautigan, came up in conversation with @Manton recently, I got the itch to dip back into Brautigan’s work. I pulled what I had off the shelves (which is a fair amount - after discovering him long ago, I picked up any of his books that I could find & read them feverishly): Revenge of the Lawn, In Watermelon Sugar, So the Wind Won’t Blow It All Away… but none of it was calling to be read again. Not right now.
There is still plenty of his work I haven’t read, so I set out searching online to see what might come next. To my surprise, I ended up ordering a used copy of his daughter’s memoir. I didn’t know it existed, & finding it now feels like such a gift. I recently lost my own father, & reading through Ianthe’s experience & grief is a crushing relief. I feel Richard & his influence in her writing, & yet her voice is entirely her own. Reading through It feels like discovering a new star within a constellation.
I’ve been thinking about the many ways my own father’s influence has shaped me, & how grateful I am for that. I hope others can still feel him through me.
Before I even cracked the book, it had me tearing up & smiling. The photo of her & her dad echoes the visual aesthetic of so many of his book covers - even though those covers were often criticized for being sexist. Richard Brautigan was a complex & imperfect person.. maybe even stunningly so. He was an alcoholic, a misogynist & just troubled in many ways. Her choice to mirror that imagery landed with me as a gesture of acceptance & unconditional love.
And.. love is something this book has in spades. I highly recommend it. 📚
A few weeks back I went to the opening of Nectar, a collaborative show between Elizabeth Chaplin & Karen Hawkins. The studio was too packed & the line was too long.. so I came back later - with friends - for a private viewing. Seeing a show by appointment may be my new favorite thing.