“In a time of destruction, create something.” Maxine Kingston Hong goes on to suggest a poem, a parade, a vow or one peaceful moment, among other things. Every day seems to bring news of something we’ve always counted on now being destroyed—a forest, an endangered animal, a law. To do my part, I created a jar of pickled cucumbers, a few journal entries, and a drawing. Yes, it’s like throwing a cup of water on a four-alarm fire, but as Jeff Tweedy of Wilco said in an interview on Articulate, “…when people participate in creation, in the making of things, simple things that just weren’t there, not necessarily great works of art or anything, just making something, they align themselves with creation.” What will you make this week? |
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I’m embarrassed to admit that I fell in love with the Nordic Style Human Head Vase on Etsy. The orange version, hands down. I haven’t been on Etsy for a while, but, unfortunately, I’ve rediscovered it. Which inevitably led me down a rabbit hole of crazy consumerism. I don’t need an orange human head vase, but I keep going back to pine over it. Not today, Satan! (Maybe tomorrow.) |
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One of my daughters eliminated grains from her diet and turned me on to Siete Grain-Free Tortilla Chips. I love and eat too many grains, but I eat these chips just because they’re delicious (and it feels virtuous). My favorite is the lime flavor, which I top with Cuban-style black beans, shredded cheese and pickled red onions. They’re widely available, but you can check the web site for groceries in your zip code that carry them. |
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Articulate features interviews with creative thinkers in music, art, design, architecture, film and literature as well as stories on offbeat topics and amazing creatives (the history and influence of shoes, Olivia Laing, Joan Armadrading, Caroline Shaw). Their presentations are less formulaic than TED Talks, and the topics are so wide-ranging and rich that I haven’t begun to explore them all. This public tv production might be carried on your local station, but I like the website because it archives all the episodes in one place. |
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Autumn is on the way—I can see it in the special slant of September light and feel it in a shift in the air. I always associate the season with wood smoke because that’s what childhood in my grandparents’ house smelled like. I don’t have a fireplace, so every year, I splurge on one large Diptyque Feu de Bois candle (I wish I could afford to have one in every room), and once it’s gone I spend half the amount on a Votivo Smoked Wood and Amber candle. Not quite the same, but close enough. |
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