Replanting your garden

Garden rats, patience, and some things I loved this week.

I have been struggling with rats and mice this week. About a month or two ago I sowed seeds in hopes of having a lush summer vegetable garden around this time. The little creatures in my backyard had other plans, because shortly after my vegetables had begun to flourish, they figured out how to squeeze themselves into the vegetable enclosure and completely mow down all of my sprouts. The only plants spared were the basil and strawberry, both of which were matured and quite large compared to the more convenient creature-height sprouts. I was extremely upset that morning when I went outside to water my garden to find that there was nothing left. They scavenged every last bit of my sprouts; I was close to tears.

I really hate to kill rats and mice. They aren’t of the terrifying subway garbage variety either, and are more of a nuisance if anything. I obviously don’t want them in my home (or my garden) but ultimately we are the ones encroaching on their space, and I hoped to figure out a way for us to live in harmony; for us to each go about our own little lives without bothering one another. So despite how upset I was about losing all my sprouts overnight, I have since made peace with these creatures and figured out several ways to disrupt their scavenging plans without having to resort to murder.

Ed reconfigured our garden enclosure, installing mesh instead of chicken wire. He finished it on Saturday, and I set about replanting my destroyed garden, feeling acutely aware of all the lessons this was teaching me about patience, life, and the act of caring for something other than yourself. The day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit. And so I tend to my garden patiently, waiting for my seeds to grow.

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✽ Music, Podcasts & Social Media ~

This episode of Digging with Flo with guest Brix Smith. I love Brix Smith, especially after devouring the Once Upon a Time at Bennington College podcast. I am a Donna Tartt superfan, so she was who initially brought me there; but I very quickly was endeared to Brix Smith, Bret Easton Ellis, and Jonathan Lethem. I was very close to buying Brix’s autobiography last week at The Last Bookstore, but decided my to-read pile was a bit too full at the moment. Next time.

I am incredibly late to the party (or disco), but Disco Cubes is my new favorite Instagram account. We have a tray that makes spherical ice cubes, but cannot for the life of us figure out how to get them as perfectly smooth and spherical as hers. I could stare at these for hours.

Disco Cubes by Leslie Kirchhoff

John Carroll Kirby’s new album The Blowout is so much fun. It is the ideal summer soundtrack to keep things light and easy-breezy. I am also really enjoying Sam Gendel’s 2021 album Fresh Bread.

✽ Style & etc ~

After looking tirelessly for the perfect casual sneaker, I eventually decided on the classic Adidas Samba only to realize that every other size 7 person on the planet had also decided on the Samba (once again, incredibly late to the party). I added a pair to my cart only to have them purchased right out from under me in a matter of seconds. Later that day my siblings visited and my little brother walked into my house wearing a pair of Sambas and I could not stop laughing. I told him my story – apparently he had trouble finding a pair in his size too. Thankfully I had signed up for restock alerts and Adidas restocked again that very same day. I felt like I was buying Taylor Swift Eras Tour tickets, but I finally successfully scored myself a pair.

AGMES, one of my favorite jewelry brands (and clients ☺) is having an archive sale with Eny Lee Parker, Shaina Mote, and Gemsun this weekend in NYC. They have an assortment of their beautiful glass pieces, archived, sample and current styles. If I were in town, I would swoop by and get a Sculpted Heart Pendant (so chic) and a pair of their Small Cleo Earrings in clear glass. The sale ends today at 6pm EST, so if you want to score some pieces for yourself, make sure you get down to their studio ASAP. Address and info here.

The Small Cleo Earrings & Sculpted Heart Pendant by AGMES

And lastly, if I had an extra $295 lying around I would buy a pair of Apiece Apart’s Bari Crop Trousers immediately. I keep getting sponsored ads for them and the fit looks so dreamy. If you own a pair, please confirm if they are really as dreamy in person as they appear online. I would style them with a bathing suit top, an oversized button down shirt and a pair of lace-up sandals.

✽ Food & Drink ~

The lovely people at Recess gifted me some of their magnesium drinks and I love them, particularly the strawberry rose flavor. I drank them all within a few days (whoops). I typically have magnesium every night (my favorite as of late is Wooden Spoon Herbs Magic Magnesium) but this drink has a small enough amount just to bring a nice mid-day calm sans the desire to fall asleep. I enjoyed cracking one open at lunchtime to keep the good ~vibes~ & productivity flowing.

Every summer, Ed and I rely heavily on Salad Freak to get us through lunch and dinnertime without having to use the stove or oven. Our A/C situation isn’t nearly as bad as it used to be (i.e. one ancient window unit in a 2-bedroom apartment with a giant floor to ceiling window that roasted everything in its path) but we are still extremely anti-stove in the summertime. This particular salad has been a godsend the past two years, so much so that when we had friends over for dinner on Friday night, this is what we made. A giant heap of peaches, avocado, cucumbers and mozz paired with some beautiful negroni sbagliatos (‘tis the season) – it was delightful. I wrote out the recipe for you, but you should definitely buy this book and support Jess Damuck’s amazing work if you can.

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Thank you for reading! I really love writing these weekly newsletters, and your likes and kind words over the last few weeks have been so encouraging.

Until next week. x