Seasons 20-24 (2022)
Lemon and Armenian cucumbers growing along our raised bed trellis. They remind me of dancers with outstretched arms.
HOME + TRAVEL
We’re in the home stretch! School is wrapping up for those of us with kids, and I can feel the desire to slow down deep in my bones. Summer arrived early here in Austin with temperatures well above 90 degrees for the last few weeks.
Graduation announcements have been arriving in our mailbox lately and graduation gifts are on our minds. If you need a few ideas, you can visit last year’s post on celebrating that graduate in your life.
Last year’s post on graduate gifts - Season 19 (2021) and Books for Grads*
We all know that graduates just want money for graduation! Why not put some cash in a mason jar with a graduation cap lid* and roll up dollar bills like tiny diplomas?
If you’d rather give a practical gift for a recent high school or college grad, what about a subscription to YNAB (You Need a Budget)* or this ingenious invention called SipChip to give piece of mind when they are out drinking with friends and want to make sure their drink hasn’t been spiked.
We purchased this LED neon sign for our son’s game room this year. Adding a little neon to a dorm room or teenager’s room could make a fun gift.
What about giving a gift to celebrate the upcoming summer with a staycation? Fill a beach bag or backpack with gift cards for their hometown before they leave or for the town where they’ll go to college. You might include gift cards to indie bookstores, restaurants, coffee shops, local activities, bike rentals, or memberships to local pools or a gift card to Swimply to rent a pool by the hour.
The summertime heat has me ready for lounging with refreshing Cat Springs Yaupon Tea. I’ve been filling up my glass tea tumbler with herbal tea every morning so that the tea can steep in the fridge all day. Cold herbal tea has been a refreshing way to end my day when I go to pick up my son in the afternoon.
School ends next week, and I’m taking a break from the blog for a few weeks as we travel and spend time together as a family. I’ll write a post every few weeks over the next few months with book ideas for lounging by the pool or in the backyard garden and offer inspiration for the summer season.
Be sure to subscribe to the blog (at the end of this post) so that you don’t miss any posts this summer.
GARDEN
Summer is the perfect time to put those edible flowers to work (as long as they are organically grown, of course)!
We’re watching our giant magnolia tree bloom, so watching the newest Her86M2 video has me feeling inspired for what’s possible with magnolia tree blossoms.
I splurged on some new rain boots after the ones I’ve had for years started to show their age. These colorful boots bring me joy when I’m stepping out into the garden.
The cucamelons on our arch (on left) will help to shade the tomato plants from the intense afternoon sun.
So much has been happening in the garden despite the heat. Our snow peas and fava beans have slowed down due to the heat, but our green beans, tomatoes, cucamelons,* tomatillos, and cucumbers are taking off. I’ve noticed several blossoms on all of the plants letting us know that fruit is on the way!
This baby cucamelon and flower are smaller than the tip of my finger.
cherry tomatoes
I’m feeling a little nostalgic for our garden at our old house right now. I found myself missing the gorgeous Meyer lemons this winter and blossoms this spring. Now I’m missing the huge, juicy blackberries at our fingertips, olives ripening, and figs dripping with sweetness. We are so happy here at our new house, and I know that in time our garden will have the same abundance.
The heat is getting to my spring flower bed, so I’m switching over to heat-loving shishito peppers, picnic peppers, ground cherries, yarrow, and zinnias from Lone Star Nursery located in Manor, Texas.
Share in the comments below what you’re planting in YOUR summer garden.
WELLNESS
Paring down our belongings to what is essential and life-giving can soothe our minds and be easier on our wallets.
Decluttering the closet with Sophie from Malama Life (*link has sound)
What’s your money story? Hidden Brain’s Latest Podcast Episodes from the Money 2.0 Series delve into our spending habits through the lens of our emotions and stories around money.
CREATIVE
I discovered the Eugenia Díaz You Tube Channel last week, and after watching, I’m feeling inspired by the beauty and simplicity of her work and the home she created with her husband. Their tiny home and permaculture garden is nestled in the mountains of Portugal in Alentejo.
BOOKSHELF
In last week’s post, I mentioned the bookcase my husband and son built for me as a Mother’s Day gift. It’s complete! Having my own bookshelf to display and organize my books makes me so happy.
My new bookcase is now filled with my favorite books, my 2022 TBR, picture books, and little sentimental items that include a penguin my mom carved in middle school, a found hummingbird nest, a piece of knitting and a metal heart from my son’s pre-school and elementary school days, a glass apple my dad gave me when I was teaching, dried roses from our garden, and a little llama planter that my son gave me at Christmas.
My TBR read shelf for 2022 is already bursting at the seams, but why not add a few more books? I’m looking forward to visiting my favorite bookshops at home and in towns where we travel this summer.
In case you’re looking for a few books with summer vibes or compelling stories about travel or just a good poolside read, these lists will have you (and all the members of your family) heading for your favorite indie bookstore to pick up a good book to enjoy.
What Should I Read Next Podcast Episode #331: Strong Sense of Summer
The highly anticipated Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide
Tale Away - Books That Take You Places
52 Seasons Audiobook List on Libro.fm*
Libro.fm’s AAPI Author Booklist*
Summer reading for kids!
COMMUNITY
As a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) and empath, I find my heart strings pulled in every direction every day.
This constant tug at my heart makes me think of a line from Billy Collin’s poetry book called Aimless Love.
“But my heart is always propped up in a field on a tripod ready for the next arrow.”
We all want to make a difference in our communities and the world, but are we actually helping? Recently I heard about a book called Doing Good Better by William MacAskill. This book on thoughtful and effective altruism helps us all to navigate how and why we help.
The book begs us to consider if the organizations we are involved with truly help the communities they support and whether or not the communities want our help at all! Is our “help” complicating the lives of those living in the community where we were hoping to make an impact? Is it really about them or our feel-good need to help?
Would money be better spent on the not-so-easy-to-market life-saving deworming program instead of the glossy textbooks and school supplies? Is new technology always better? Has that charity organization you’ve been giving to each month taken the time to see if their work has been effective?
The author delves into five questions to help us all become more effective in our altruistic efforts.
How many people benefit, and by how much?
Is this the most effective thing you can do?
Is this area neglected?
What would have happened otherwise?
What are the chances of success, and how good would success be?
Visit the Effective Altruism website for more ideas.
In Tembi Locke’s most recent newsletter she wrote about befriending hope as ACTIVE hope. Tembi Locke is the author of From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home*
I’ve been thinking about the idea of befriending hope in the context of being a mother lately. As mothers we are actively guiding the next generation when all there is at the end of the day with the troubling news and our busy complicated lives and relationships is hope.
“I’ve begun to think about hope differently. I think of it as an intentional daily practice, quotidian micro acts from an actively hopeful mind state.”
-Tembi Locke
This is why I share the Desmond Tutu quotation at the end of my blog posts every week. Our daily actions are what change this world, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.
Tembi Locke shared a link to an inspiring project called Project Row Houses located in New Orleans, LA. We inspire the next generation when we lift up their mothers so that they may set a shining example of what is possible.
I’ll be back on the blog for Season 25. Until then, be sure to check out these links for last summer’s blog posts:
Season 22 (2021): Summer is here
Season 23 (2021): Relaxing into summer and seasonal change
Season 24 (2021): Keeping it simple for summer
Season 27 (2021): Summer is the perfect time for doing less
Season 30-33 (2021): Enjoy a family road trip
Enjoy your weekend!
Get involved in your community. VOTE. Speak out. Volunteer. Act.
“Do your little bit of good where you are. It’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” -Desmond Tutu