Life lately

I know it’s cringe to be like… welp, I haven’t posted in a while (…because, who noticed? I’ll tell you who. No one.). But, welp… I haven’t posted in a while! Today marks the first day of summer vacation for our kids, so it feels like as good a day as ever to mark the passage of time and get back into habits such as writing for writing’s sake. Soooo, let’s just pretend the past however many months were great/grand/wonderful and pick right up like old friends. Because that’s likely exactly who we are. 😉

Here’s what I’ve been up to.

The only thing shorter than peony season is my current attention span. I’ve tried to finish this post like 12 times.

Life lately

*Almost* Cape summer: One final hockey practice and a few errands stand between us and Cape summer, aka the reward for living through New England winters, vitamin D deficiencies and all. Granted, this past winter was very mild… but that one cold snap did kill our hydrangeas, knockout roses, and butterfly bushes… so, I feel entitled to non-financial compensation in the form of many beach days, ice cream runs, and drive-in movies. I can barely contain myself. I’ll share our Cape Cod summer bucket list in another post. Why? Because your girl needs to save some ideas if I want to post more than once this quarter… Get ready (but for safety and reality’s sake, please don’t hold your breath) for farmers market hauls, onion ring recommendations, and progress in my little garden ahead.

Meditation teacher training update: The update is that there is no update, as my hours are complete but I still need to sit for my final exam. My actual daily meditation practice, however, is as solid as ever… even on the days when it feels hard (which is most…). I’m excited to be able to share some tips and classes with you all in the fall (that’s the goal — get it done before the end of September — please hold me to this). I feel like I should wait until I have the stamped certificate. Do people sue folks for bad meditation advice?

The TBR pile: I could not tell you the last time I watched a whole show, but I have been devouring books on my Kindle while a growing physical pile of books looms large on my bedside table. I can’t say no to a bookstore. Imagine if there was a Supermarket Sweep: Bookstore edition? I would probably faint. Need recommendations? I’m your girl.

WFH/WFBeach: I’ve been living life on an academic calendar since I was five-ish, and I don’t see that changing any time soon. So while I am still working over the summer (for my lovely freelance clients and a fantastic local agency), it will be accomplished in fits and starts… writing, editing, and creating content in the hockey rink during camps and practices, in my car by the tennis courts, at the kitchen table while the kids are reading or sleeping or otherwise safely occupied, and yes… likely at the beach. I will never not be grateful for this flexibility (and no, this is not me trying to get you to join a boss babe cult where the only perk is working from home… I literally have zero to offer you… but I do owe you a lot for supporting me on this platform). I gained so much working in an office for years, but don’t see myself commuting in hard pants and heels (my elder millennial arches could neverrrrr) again any time soon.

My lawn care era: I have a new personality and it revolves around grass clippings. I’ve recently become my father, in so much as I have developed a passion for mowing the lawn. It started on a random Saturday afternoon, when the light caught a slightly overgrown patch of lawn in such a way that it caused my eyelid to twitch. Nick had been especially busy with work, so I was like — you know what, let me take this bull by the horns (but like, in a gentle way). And now I fully understand why my dad used to spend literal hours mowing the lawn when we were kids. You can jam out to classic rock (am I making a lawn mowing playlist for you… of course), no one talks to you (and if they do, you can pretend not to hear them), no one can get close enough to touch you because blades (I love my children, obviously, but am prone to feeling over-touched by the end of the day), and it’s a project you can accomplish start to finish. I crave that kind of satisfaction in this phase of life. I’ve got dedicated lawn mowing shoes (old Hokas — again with the millennial arches), a belt bag worn as possibly originally intended (fanny-pack style) to hold my phone and AirPod case and maybe some snacks, and a non-vintage Quebec Nordiques hat to really tie the whole look together. Can I make Hot Girl Lawn Mowing a thing? Stay tuned. Or whatever.

If you’re one of the 2 (that number feels high, I need to be humbled) people that is like, Please go on… we need to hear more about this? I’ve got you. Even made a little shopping list for you (don’t skip the SPF). We have an electric mower, so it’s quiet and as eco-friendly as possible without being one of those old timey sharp rolling ones. I leave the bag off, so it sort of leaves a light trail of clippings in my wake. I like to think this is like mulching as I go, but I am probably wrong… because I know almost nothing about lawn maintenance… beyond that it’s weirdly relaxing.

A decent swath of our back lawn is already clover, and I see us switching over to full clover sooner rather than later. It’s good for the bunnies and the bees. And it doesn’t feel like dead straw underfoot if it doesn’t get watered for months on end (file under: last year’s drought). Speaking of water, I did a little partnership with Rachio earlier this year (they must have sensed the inevitable approach of my lawn care era) and cannot say enough good things about their products (we have the Rachio 3 for 8 zones, which covers our front and backyard). We were already using one of their systems at the Cape, so it was kind of a no brainer. It syncs with their weather hub, and will limit water usage if rain is in the forecast, for example.

So anyway, yes… lawns. Wow. I can’t believe I dedicated three full paragraphs to that. Shall we quit while we’re (questionably) ahead? See ya soon. xx

Also On Tap for Today:

• One more thing about supportive shoes and feet and whatever: Millennials accidentally saved America’s feet via The Atlantic
• Opal Lee, Fort Worth’s Grandmother of Juneteenth is Still Marching at 96 via Texas Monthly
• Packing for summer and sports and car travel (and like, everything else) in these bins makes me feel like an organized, cool, and collected person

Long time, no see. How are ya, friends?