I went upstate to my friends’ new little hotel The Henson where they also opened up a beautiful restaurant called Matilda. (I know that technically this was last weekend but it trickled into this past Monday so it counts as this week!) I briefly mentioned this in a previous newsletter but I feel the need to reiterate my love for the Catskills and my love for a place that combines everything I love about a weekend sojourn into one perfect little place. The inn really feels like one giant home you get to roam around in and pick which corner of the house you’d like to hang out in. There’s a giant lawn to sunbathe and read, a roof deck to drink wine and stare out into the hills, a gorgeous living room to cozy up by the fireplace and play chess, the front porch to interact with the other guests who will probably be cool and chic… I love how the entire weekend I was there, my friends and I couldn’t stop talking about how much our nervous system felt regulated, our cortisol levels dropped, our minds finally at peace and all it took was driving (or taking a train) up 2.5 hours??! Sure, Californians have a myriad of roadtrips they get to take and New Yorkers really just have upstate… but the lack of other options almost makes you appreciate it that much more. It’s beautiful and there’s so much and if you don’t want to do so much, you can just hang out, which is what I did and it was lovely.
I got this floral arrangement from Fox Fodder Farm and it was so insanely beautiful and intense that I’m convinced right now is the best time to be getting your weekly floral arrangements. Or, better yet, attempt to make one yourself. Yes, they’re a pricy thing to look at and they don’t last very long, but florals are a thoroughly simple and incredibly charming way to make your home (and yourself) feel alive! I’m really grateful for floral studios like FFF and other cool independent florists (I love following Yasmine Mei, FDK Florals, Meta Flora) who really think outside the usual cheesy 1-800-FLOWERS template to create arrangements that look wild, whimsical and literally jaw dropping.
I started scrambling my eggs with cottage cheese after my friend, who also has a protein deficiency (lollll), recommended it and told me one serving has a whopping 14 grams of protein. I feel like cottage cheese is having a little bit of a moment right now, and it may be in part due to the decline of nut milk (it’s true, the National Milk Producers Federation has the tea). But I also think this has to do with Good Culture, a dairy brand that makes my favorite milk and everyone’s favorite cottage cheese. I keep seeing people who are into food and home cooking post about it and this was only further confirmed when I ran into my friend at the farmer’s market, market tote in hand with a container of cottage cheese peeking out. Cottage cheese feels like yogurt’s quirky older auntie who never quite gained the mainstream popularity she so deserves. Anyways, if you’re a pseudo-vegetarian like me who is animal protein-adverse and is in need of alternative protein sources that are not disgusting stevia-infused powders, beans that make you gassy, nuts that make you bloated, may I suggest cottage cheese?! This isn’t sponsored, btw.
I made a beautiful summer kombucha with fig leaves, strawberries and ginger. And another with with lemon leaves and fresh chamomile flowers. One of the things I love about summer is its abundance in produce that allows you to get all creative at home. All! The! Flavor! Combinations! My recent kombucha making hobby has gotten out of control, so much so that my friends are now invested in my concoctions so that they, too, can experience this abundance. Go get some fresh strawberries and fig leaves at the farmer’s market. I’m not saying you should make kombucha but I’m saying you should do something, anything!
I picked up my most cherished hobby again: horseback riding. I recently shared my hot take that people without hobbies scare me. And I meet a lot of these people who 1) actually don’t have hobbies 2) think it’s OK and perhaps maybe even edgy to not have hobbies so they let it be known!!! It is sad and scary and I try to steer clear of these people. If you do have hobbies, you’re so lucky. And what is a hobby even for if you’re not actively participating in them? So I found a riding place in New Jersey that I am going to commit commuting to once a week so I can continue to cultivate this sport that not only brings me immense joy and gratification, but is still the best and most enjoyable full-body workout for me. This is your sign to pick up your hobby again…
I finished the novel Sex and Rage and I get why Eve Babitz is Eve Babitz! Though, I should mention that there is neither sex nor rage in this book. Instead, Babitz’s prose, character development and her fixation on the imagery of Los Angeles and New York throughout the 70s and all the people one encounters in these places—fuckboys and mysterious snobs who will never tell you what they do for a living—will leave you enamored. I actually this this is the perfect little summer read without diving into trashy beach read territory but don’t worry, you’ll still get the decadence and dreaminess you seek. As one reviewer on Goodreads put it, it’s “just…it girl essential.” :･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.
I put on this beautiful cotton poplin dress from Commission’s SS22 collection that is still one of my favorite summer dresses I’ve ever purchased.
There is something that is truly satisfying about reaching for a piece over and over again knowing that no matter how many times you wear it, you still feel just as good as when you first put it on. I’ve been thinking a lot about who I want to be this summer through dressing, through vibes, through the content I put out. And before I let my mind wander to all the pieces I have in various shopping carts across the web, across my various tabs on my browser, I am reminded of the pieces that keep me grounded during these summer months. The ones that aren’t compulsively purchased. The ones that aren’t as much “staples” as they are the highlights. And they’re usually made of cotton poplin and they’re usually dresses! Something to keep in mind when you’re getting excited about dressing for this season… What do you already have in your closet that maybe hasn’t seen the light of day in months, or even years, that makes you feel really really good? Though, I did purchase this majorly discounted Nicholas number that I think will reach highlights-status soon.
xo!