A few things making me happy lately:

• painting (an activity that never ceases to clear my mind toward a little more positivity) in a tiny, watercolor paper sketchbook - reminding me of taking time to paint under tall trees on vacation in Michigan

• not returning Eating at Home by Trinity Mouzon Wofford to the library just yet, because it's reminding me that an egg on rice can be a lovely, nourishing meal 
• a home tour I woke up thinking about this morning
• + oh, have I shared this one here yet? so, so good

Wishing you a weekend that involves summer fruit (tart, sweet, juicy cherries here), a leisurely read (about to start The Summer Book by Tove Jansson) + some good company (a couple good outings with my girls this week!).

Much love,
Jane

Mangos are one of the most amazing, bright, vibrant, nourishing, juicy, golden, happy foods I can imagine eating. They've become a symbol of simple pleasures worthy of notice + savoring around here...so here are a few of the things I've been noticing + savoring lately...you know, mind mangos :) :

• Benita's slow, simple, capable renovations that come across as passion projects rather than content projects.
• Experiencing a wind whipping, glorious sunset drenched, outdoor concert with thousands of other people singing along...together.
• Going down the well-curated rabbit hole of David Hockney's colorful existence. Wanting some of this: "There's always this feeling with Hockney that he never felt trapped, he just enjoyed it."
• Revisiting this playlist from one of my perennial favorites, Sylvan Esso.
• Speaking of perennials, our little, imperfect, native garden is one of my absolute favorite things at the moment. The rabbits are pretty stoked on it too.
• Dipping into the bitesized, perspective shifting deliciousness of Tamar Adler's Kitchen Meditations.
• A rainy day jaunt to a new spot that we can already tell is going to become an enduring favorite.

Hope your noticings are making you smile too!  :)

Much love,
​Jane

I've been spring cleaning recently, which mainly involves pulling everything out, dusting + vacuuming and then...the main event: streamlining our inventory. Ideally I'd like to just know what I have, like what I have + to use it all regularly.
​

• I've been going through my basement inventory, recycling, taking a trip to Goodwill, building a few shelves, organizing things onto shelves, letting a week pass, going through it all again, driving to Goodwill again...and probably repeating again this week.
• I've been going through my closet, listing a bunch for sale (noting preferences), making trips to the post office, letting a week pass, listing again, blah, blah...

It has taken a few passes to actually streamline my stuff, my spaces + my thinking. Mixing in time to listen to the birds, take a leisurely walk to observe the crocus, daffodils or tulips, pull a weed or bake a simple pantry cake is a necessary part of the process.

A little inspiration toward streamlining:

Thoreau learned through his experiment in the woods that the physical environment is interconnected with the mental one. "I had three pieces of limestone on my desk, but I was terrified to find that they required to be dusted daily, when the furniture of my mind was all undusted still." 

A really satisfying small space.
​Listen +/or read.
No one voted for more plastic.

Hope your weekend is full of whatever you need to move toward peace. 

Loads of love,
Jane

A few easy reads that I've binged lately (+ feel like books anyone could appreciate):

The Friends by Fredrik Backman :: this will surely become a movie or series that won't be better than the beautifully written book

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel :: my partner checked this one out from the library + when Jo saw it, she said it was her favorite book...so of course, I read it too

The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer :: nature, Native wisdom + economics. beautiful.

The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard :: folklore for these present times

Microadventures by Alistair Humphreys :: check out the book or the blog...it'll get your mind moving in the direction of "yeaaaah, I can think of good adventures to sprinkle into the weeks ahead!"

It can be hard to find good books to read sometimes. I've just been in a good spot lately...which is nice, because winter is for reading! As always, I'd love to hear what you've been reading + loving lately too!  :)

Love,
Jane

I've only just begun Worry Medicine by Nina Montenegro, but I'm already glad I have. 

It kinda feels nice to know I'm not alone. Honoring our own needs this holiday season.

Words are powerful. This one is such food for thought.

Outsourced supply chains. 

Collaborative, 400-miles-radius supply chain.

Build a bridge. That's where the courage is.

With finishing stitches put in as the maple tree in our yard turns blazing red + snowflakes dot the forecast, this (finished!) quilt feels right on time. This weekend, I'm:

• thinking about how I can truly, deeply feel the abundance of what's already present.
• turning my eye toward indoor spaces + creating places for creativity, calm + connection as the temperatures dip. 
• creating acceptance in myself for non-intimidating + nourishing gathering options. 
• embracing my desire to throw kindness around like confetti.

Sounds like an outline of posts I could write.  :)

A few more goodies:
Once in a lifetime moment.
​A tool for living.
Tradition toward sustainability.

Wishing you a weekend filled with what nourishes your soul.
Love,
​Jane

Botanical Block Printing by Rosanna Morris :: I was so happy to find this book at our library! One of Rosanna's prints hangs in our kitchen + I'm just excited to experience all the beauty in this one this weekend.
​
Prairie Up by Benjamin Vogt :: This is the second time I've checked this book out from the library this year. I'm looking for a better recipe for the native plant mix in our little garden. Now that the perennials have been at it for a few years, some are taking over, and I'd like to even the playing field a bit. (Where did all my happy coreopsis go?)

A study showed cognitive training increases acetylcholine which boosts attention + memory. My favorite brain games are the free NYT games, Disarray + this new one I just picked up. (fingers crossed we can do it)  :)

This + this made my partner + I feel so peaceful + grounded that we got up + went for a bike ride even though the sun had already gone down. 
Keeping looms in the USA.
Creating a replicable, human-sized model of textile recycling in the USA.
​Repairing sneakers.

I hope you prioritize some things that just feel good this weekend...I'll be riding through the park as the sun sets, eating empanadas from the pop-up at work + painting with autumn colors.

Loads of love,
Jane

This lovely library at the Lincolnville Motel in Maine had me imagining the collection of books I'd still have, if I'd never let any go. It really did feel quite cozy paging through book after book listening to Johnny Cash on the record player with a mug of hot tea in hand. Also...those white floors.

Foster by Claire Keegan is a book I picked up in a different vacation spot library. I chose it, because I thought it would be short enough to finish during our stay. I read it in one sitting + it lingered in my thoughts for days. I'd be so curious to hear how others receive it. My advice is not to read what it's about before diving in.

I've been studying Enneagram in Real Life by Stephanie Barron Hall like a text book. I really like how Stephanie engages with the enneagram as a guide for transformation towards our truest selves. She says that our truest selves are grounded, connected, compassionate + possess inner-knowing. Yes, please.

Rebel Stylist by Iain Webb caught my eye in a bookstore + held it as soon as I realized that the subject, Caroline Baker, styled my favorite 80's Benetton ads. I found it interesting think through the statements that were being made with fashion then + how they could be interpreted differently now through our current cultural lens.

I started All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall the same day that it rained eight inches in a couple of hours at our house. It hits pretty close to home, but is beautifully + thoughtfully written.

Patrice is on my I'd-like-to-watch list.
​An inspiring watch.

I hope your summer offers periods of spacious time + the appetite for savoring what is quiet + juicy.  :)

Loads of love,
Jane

Craft books seem to come in waves...not just the publishing month waves, but in waves that seem to signal trend spikes. As people interested in craft, it's kind of silly to watch. We know that interest in craft isn't driven by trend. It is something that resides deep in the soul. It is tactile + compelling, expansive + vital.

For whatever reason, I have read some truly exceptional books about craft lately:

• Handbuilt by Lilly Maetzig (above) :: This book is was the one that, after reading the library copy, I knew would earn its spot on my bookshelf. I'm not quite ready to invest in a ceramics set-up of my own, but when I am this book will be my instructor. It's beautiful + so generous in the practical knowledge it shares.

• Finding Form with Fibre by Ruth Woods :: The artists highlighted in the first half of this book are incredibly inspiring. This book has me thinking about creating small woven works as a sort of home exhibit installation.
• Cloth by Lena Corwin :: I've just checked this out from the library + I'm so excited to dig in. My mind goes racing with lines like, "From swaddling blankets to burial shrouds, people live with cloth daily and for the entirety of their lives." 
• Clay by Amber Creswell Bell :: Gosh, I just love all the things you can do with clay!
• Thrown by Lilly Maetzig :: This book, like Handbuilt above, is full of instruction that you just won't always get from a class. Lilly is the teacher who remembers what she didn't know when she started doing ceramics. Such an incredible (and beautiful) resource.

I'm sitting down with iced coffee + listening to the rain. Sunflowers + hollyhocks sway in the garden outside the window. Goldfinches swoop + chipmunks bound through the tall grass. I've just returned from the library with a new book (Cloth). It's a good Sunday. Wishing you something similarly lovely.

Love,
Jane

What's making me smile these days:

• bringing flowers to my daughter's for dinner 
• visiting an owl's nest with binoculars
• hugging my mom + dad
• minimizing + redesigning my artsy/craftsy closet  
• checking in with what's popping up in the garden
• booking camp sites
• long phone conversations with my sister
• familiar walks 
• having a permanently set up space to stretch
• balcony seats for a dance/cello performance
• an afternoon to explore shops all by myself 
• lilacs!
• hibiscus tea

It's always interesting to me how mundane + obvious these type of lists feel in the moment. But when I come across them later, there is something unfamiliar + lovely about them. I think it would be kind of delicious to find such a list tucked into a book or in the pocket of a jacket next fall. Similarly, I often keep fortune cookie fortunes or tickets from a movie or boat ride tucked into a bag or pocket to come across later. They always elicit a smile + often a conversation. Why shouldn't good things + sacred moments offer smiles more than once?

It's usually more effective to team up with a species than to create a machine.
A plastic spoon in every brain.
The housing was sold at cost.

Hope your weekend involves some sunshine + some quiet moments. 

Much love,
Jane