A 4th of July vacation to the boy's family cabin that was as sweet as the Eastern Washington fruit we feasted on (practically to the exclusion of anything else; when cherries and the like are so spectacularly in season, what else do you really need?).
I'd call it perfect if not for the impressive sunburn that has turned my pale Seattle legs into red crisps. Oops.

More than strawberries
more than corn-on-the-cob
more even than cantaloupe
nectarines taste like summer to me.

When I was little, I'd eat 3 or 4 a day in the summer months.
I was very particular--it was nectarines I wanted, not just peaches.

When I bite into one now, it is like I see all the summers I've ever experienced pass before my eyes.

---

This song by Jesca Hoop seems quietly summery to me as well. Perhaps it's time to make a Summertime playlist?

Wouldn't it be wonderful to walk right into that Manet painting? Right into Summerland.

I'll settle for other summery things, though, like:

tabletop flowers,
sewing project flowers,
quickly emptied berry baskets, &
Lemony Zucchini Pizza
(made with my windowsill-grown basil)

What are your favorite things about summer right now?
(just please don't say warm weather--it's still relatively chilly in Seattle and it's killing me)

Three things I've discovered lately:

1. Getting a foot of hair cut off your head makes you feel light and ready for hot summer weather. Really, the simple, much-needed change kind of does that too.

2. Roasted summer squash, fresh basil, and goat cheese come together to make a sandwich that (I have a hunch) I might be chomping on all summer long.

3. Until I heard this song by Josh Ritter when we saw him perform on Sunday I had never realized how adorably romantic the lyrics were. Wouldn't it be perfect at a wedding?

Happy Summer.

Recipe for a sweet afternoon:

+2 cups of latest craft project experimentation
+1 cup of early summer sunshine
+several teaspoons of shouting along to Sam Cooke
+sprinkling of sun-drunk cat

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Serve, and enjoy!

For some reason, I listen to a lot of Cat Power in the summer.
This song is perfect.
Even the music video is golden.

What are you listening to right now?

The sun came out today, so I seized the moment and staged a little photoshoot.

The product? Better photos for the items in my shop--fresh for summer. I'd been meaning to do it for a long while.


It was fun--accessorizing the prints depicting the bits and pieces of nature I've picked up and collected with...more bits and pieces I've picked up.

Pinecones & branches, shells & stones, some of my beloved plants: they all make appearances.


I think this one is my favorite, but I'm fond of this one too since it includes a very old painting of mine.


It feels good to refresh things.

My "outside" plants, on the landing next to my apartment door: two kinds of tomatoes and my favorite red geranium.

I tried to take advantage of every space I could. It's a city girl's garden.

Every time I look at them I worry that they don't get enough light, but they seem to be doing alright.


I've actually really been enjoying this album.
And this book has been a lot of fun.


Happy plants & music & books: some of the best things in the world?

This weekend was grey and rainy again. Again.

We managed to make it feel cozy, though, instead of bizarrely unseasonal.

French press coffee from our latest thrift store find, Ginger-Rhubarb Buckle from this book, and glowing candles all over the place helped.


I finally saw this exhibit and, as I expected, I loved the prints by Hiroshige the best.

#99 of his 100 Views of Edo series was my favorite.


For me, art museums are like churches, holy places, sacred sites--repositories of beauty and knowledge and power that never fail to take away my breath.

I got this peony at the farmers market. It was in a huge bucket full of flowers, $2 for a stem, and when the stall vendor asked me which one I'd like, I pointed to this main bloom.

In the sea of blossoms, it was all I could see of the stem.

When he pulled it out and I saw that there were two other tight buds attached, I felt so pleased. Immensely lucky, like I'd won a prize, or chosen wisely.


They were so tightly curled, for a few days I feared they'd been plucked too soon and wouldn't open.

It turns out I was wrong. They are unfurling now (so luxuriously that I feel I can see them drooping and growing heavier before my eyes) and filling the room with their scent.


I love peonies.