Have a Lovely Weekend.

Just to let you know, it seems that your fall look link doesn’t work! (At least to me, in France).

Just picked up Heartwood and Mad Honey from the library. I decided to try audio/e-book brand Everand. Made up Basil, thyme and sage salts this wknd from an abundance of garden herbs. Winding down potted plants a bit. I love fishing boat day trips. Fun way to unwind. Have a loveky week!🌺

Sharing this astounding poem, Love Letter From the Afterlife, by the recently departed Andrea Gibson. I can’t even find words to talk about it yet. https://andreagibson.substack.com/p/love-letter-from-the-afterlife LOVE LETTER FROM THE AFTERLIFE My love, I was so wrong. Dying is the opposite of leaving. When I left my body, I did not go away. That portal of light was not a portal to elsewhere, but a portal to here. I am more here than I ever was before. I am more with you than I ever could have imagined. So close you look past me when wondering where I am. It’s Ok. I know that to be human is to be farsighted. But feel me now, walking the chambers of your heart, pressing my palms to the soft walls of your living. Why did no one tell us that to die is to be reincarnated in those we love while they are still alive? Ask me the altitude of heaven, and I will answer, “How tall are you?” In my back pocket is a love note with every word you wish you’d said. At night I sit ecstatic at the loom weaving forgiveness into our worldly regrets. All day I listen to the radio of your memories. Yes, I know every secret you thought too dark to tell me, and love you more for everything you feared might make me love you less. When you cry I guide your tears toward the garden of kisses I once planted on your cheek, so you know they are all perennials. Forgive me, for not being able to weep with you. One day you will understand. One day you will know why I read the poetry of your grief to those waiting to be born, and they are all the more excited. There is nothing I want for now that we are so close I open the curtain of your eyelids with my own smile every morning. I wish you could see the beauty your spirit is right now making of your pain, your deep seated fears playing musical chairs, laughing about how real they are not. My love, I want to sing it through the rafters of your bones, Dying is the opposite of leaving. I want to echo it through the corridor of your temples, I am more with you than I ever was before. Do you understand? It was me who beckoned the stranger who caught you in her arms when you forgot not to order for two at the coffee shop. It was me who was up all night gathering sunflowers into your chest the last day you feared you would never again wake up feeling lighthearted. I know it’s hard to believe, but I promise it’s the truth. I promise one day you will say it too– I can’t believe I ever thought I could lose you.

this summer i have read tell me everything by elizabeth strout, everything is tuberculosis by john green, and am almost done with creation lake, a much grittier (and skilled/fresh/good) read by rachel kushner. i recommend all three but for different interests, different tastes.

I’m in the middle of my last summery book for the season- Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune. I’m looking forward to digging into some long, heavy bricks for fall.

In terms of what we’re reading… I have been deeply immersed in the Maisie Dobbs series that I saw recommended here a while ago. Now I can’t remember which book post, of course — but many thanks to the commenter who suggested it! She’s a very relatable and sympathetic heroine (British nurse in France in WW1 turned private detective in the years leading up to WW2), and the themes are deeply resonant with our own time.

Excellent links as always. You asked what we are all reading and although my TBR pile is threatening to take over my house, I still bought a new book. Its called Shakespeare:The Man who Pays The Rent by Judi Dench. Its wonderful. I truly believe if this book had been around when I was studying Shakespeare at school, I would have understood it better. Its just conversations with Judi about all the parts she has played in Shakespeare plays and her interpretations of them. It really is a beautiful read. I am about halfway through and already dreading it being finished.

Every time I read an interview with Jeff Hiller I am impressed with him. Same with Samin Nosrat. They make me believe that humans are wonderful, which I need to be reminded of. Cute dress! I love green and white together, such a cool, fresh color combo. I am reading The Woman in Cabin 10, by Ruth Ware, and next up is Enemy Women, by Paulette Jiles.

I just finished Brooklyn and Long Island after learning about it here. So good! None of my IRL friends have read them. If you’re up for an ad hoc book club chat: sarahstricklerstone at gmail.com

A head spa opened in my town on Long Island and it’s become our favorite spot for date night. Somehow it’s MORE relaxing than a full body massage!

I recently got a good laugh out of an older lady with the licence QIK SUE. I have to wonder if it’s meant to be (I’m) Quick Sue or Quick, Sue! I’m not in the US, so I’m pretty certain it’s not Quick, sue!

the link to the Sound of Music dress no longer seems to work :,) Some googling of the descriptive terms in the link got me to this dress, if it is the same one: https://editorialist.com/p/meem-midnight-hibiscus-print-swing-dress/?pla=true&size=US%2010

Reading Wild Dark Shores by Charlotte McConaughy – she takes my breath away when she writes of the natural world and our absolute need to protect all species. Her first, Migrations, one of my very favorites.

How beautiful! Have so much fun❤️! My boys took me fishing and they caught a frog! We (I) had to free its little tongue from the hook. My advice would be to bring those cut resistant gloves chefs wear because yikes those hooks and mama fingers… but all is well that ends well for both species…

Geez i get the paid subscription for big salad, and i have to admit, for a minute there, i thought about it, if only to read the samin nosrat piece, but then thought, nah. I’m not a fan of the tease. If it’s gonna be a link on cup of Jo, make it readable. Otherwise, it’s such a bummer. I’m sure you’ve thought of this, but oh well.

A great recent read: The Great Mann by Kyra Davis Lurie. It’s a retelling of the Great Gatsby set in post WWII LA – in the Sugar Hill neighborhood, a place where Black people are succeeding. It doesn’t matter how well you know the Gatsby story – she builds real suspense and shatters your heart. Loved it!

I had never heard of a head spa before your post. The hair wash and massage is my favorite part of going to the salon. I had no idea places exist to do just this?? Heaven. I checked out the place you went to and it sounded incredible! Immediately started googling and found a place near me in LA and have an appointment booked for next week! I can’t wait!

I smiled when I read “his current passion”. My 12 year old has had so many phases where he is completely obsessed with something for months. We call them eras. The yo-yo era, the Rubik’s cube era… HIS current passion is cardistry and card tricks and he’s got a nice little deck collection going now. Recently I was telling him about an article I read and he said, “was it on cup of Jo?” I don’t even remember telling him about cup of Jo. He took me by surprise in the best way possible. Oh to be seen!

All you need to know about fishing you‘ll learn from that movie: „Man‘s favorite sport“. A must! Enjoy!!!

✨glimmer✨ being in the cupofjo weekend comment section ☺️

I like Marge Piercy’s poems (https://margepiercy.com/poetry) and if I understand her blog correctly, at age 90 she could do with new publishing venues … Greetings from Switzerland a

As an English professor, I’d like to (gently!) push back on the idea that Jane Austen disliked “practical marriages.” While she disliked the idea of getting married to someone you didn’t feel any affection for, her novels repeatedly emphasis the importance of practicality when choosing a partner. Characters who marry based on affection alone often find themselves unhappy, while characters who take a more holistic view of what marriage entails–recognising the importance of financial security, for example–tend to have happier endings.

Thanks to the person who mentioned the Lurie Garden (Chicago) in the comment section of the garden post. I work downtown and have been taking my lunch there all week. I hadn’t been in a while, and it was glorious!!

Scalp spas for the win! I swear by them for hair growth too. My hair has never been healthier :)

I’m a woman. I grew up fishing with my dad, mostly trout, and I still enjoy it. My dad doesn’t travel much, but I convinced him and my mom to take a trip to Alaska a couple of summers ago. My husband hired a guide to take my us fishing. My husband, FIL and I aren’t real fishermen. My dad is though. He had his waders on, was off the boat, walked to a spot that looked good and was catching fish within 10 minutes. As he was walking to the spot, the guide said “he looks good, I won’t worry about him”. The rest of us… that was a different story. I’m so happy I got to enjoy that day with my dad, doing something he so loves. I find it quite peaceful as well, I’m not nearly as good as him though.

That lip color just *wishes* it was Clinique Black Honey – the original category killer.

You all must listen to the audio book version of Jeff Hiller’s memoir, “Actress of a Certain Age”. It is funny, tender, moving, and well written. And listening to him read it is icing on the cake. 10/10, I can’t recommend it enough!

Ugh, that Kate Baer poem is one of my favorites. So so good!!!! Here’s to peaches & poetry & truly enjoying our lives! And here’s to the COJ community. Wishing you all a relaxing weekend! <3

My comment is in the COJ weekend comment section! Oh my, it is simply delightful to feel so giddily surprised. I will float into this weekend like a peachy cloud. Join me if you so wish and we all float peachily together :)

For anyone looking after little babies and kids who drop (throw/splatter/smear/look you in the eye and cackle while they fling) food on the floor at every meal, a plastic bench scraper is about to save you sanity! Nothing is too small, sticky or caked on for the bench scraper and, as the article says, you can push all those little bits into a pile and pick them up in one go. Next time I go to a baby shower, this will be my gift.

My 8-year-old fisher-son caught a reasonably sized fish this summer off the dock at a cabin we rented. He was elated for a split second, and then burst into tears at the sight of the struggling fish and wailed, “Mom! Do something!” Thankfully I managed to free the fish from the lure and we were relieved to see it swim off. I’m not so keen on fishing again for a while.

My kid who is Anton’s age is obsessed with fishing. He taught himself how to fly fish and ties his own flies. He saved up his allowance so he could buy hip waders. He goes the local Trout Unlimited meetings. It is always catch and release and he always clamps down barbs. I don’t share his passion and I don’t love the idea of hurting or hunting fish. I’ll grab a net sometimes if I go, but mostly, I go because I want to spend time with him, watch the way he observes the water and the way he soaks in nature and lets it soothe him, chat when he feels like it, and enjoy the company and the silence as we hike through the woods while he still reaches out and puts his hand in mine.

I’ll be cleaning my apartment over the weekend. Someone drove me home from an event thid Thursday and asked if I wanted to stop for coffee. I’m participating in the Thursday Global Genwral Strike for Gaza, which meant no coffee shops, but how nice would it have been to spontaneously make a pot of coffee and invite my friend over? I have such a small studio that any mess quickly takes over the whole ecosystem. I need to develop better habits if I want hosting to be a community role I take on. On a lighter note, I’ve been loving cabbage and carrot salad as a meal base. It’s the type of food I absolutely savor. And bonus, the ingredients are very cheap. I love the Sound of Music reference. I’m personally partial to sheer blue ‘Maria in the garden’ dresses!

My husband is a fly fisherman and I have spent many of the last 35 years on fishing/hikes…usually it is someplace very pretty so I do enjoy the hiking. My best advice is to bring a good book and get a camping chair from REI ..https://www.rei.com/product/242895/rei-co-op-camp-low-chair?sku=2428950001&store=32 ! Also, I have knitted a lot of dish rags and even taught my self to draw very badly. As for worrying about hurting the fish..you can de-barb the hooks. My husband does this all the time…he is a fly fisherman and makes his own flies. Not sure how you do this for reel fishing. It’s a nice way to spend time together and have you phone ready for a quick photo before the fish is released.

I saved that spa for the next time I’m in town. I simply must go to a spa with giant pink doggies on the rug! Yes!

Who else read “Let’s enjoy life like a peach” and IMMEDIATELY went to TSITP episode 6….?

I recently saw the license plate I❤️BACON and I thought oh my gosh! You did it! You got it! I felt so elated for how they must have felt when they realized they claimed that prize before anyone else.

Deb Perelman will never steer you wrong! She posted her double chocolate banana bread recipe in March 2017, so I guess I’ve been making it for 11 years now. It’s insane! Can’t wait to try the zucchini bread version–I’m sure it’s equally delicious. Here’s the banana bread recipe: https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/double-chocolate-banana-bread/

A friend taught me to fish a couple years ago and we go on a girls trip every February to the same place that has a lake, so lots of fishing happens every year. I won’t touch the bait, or the fish and I generally freak out when I catch one but I love the act of standing there casting and trying over and over. My advice: jig and reel baby.

I have never been to a Head Spa but I’m visiting NYC next weekend and I booked an appointment at one (in Williamsburg actually, not the one you linked). I’m excited, it sounds soooo nice!

Also, I think fishing is a mystery – some can and some can’t. Good luck! You are a terrific mum. Does he clean his own catch? That used to freak me out. I remember catching a fish when I was little and I cried so much my dad had to drive back and set it free (I had kept it in a bucket of water on the two minute drive home). That was the end of my fishing. (I grew up in a fishing town, to say everyone thought I was odd is perhaps the definition of an understatement).

“I will let the want into my body, bless the heat under my skin…” Kate Baer does it again. And I now have a bench scraper on its way to me. Happy Friday everyone!

I do not understand what PB4WEGO means…. can someone explain it to the person who I guess doesn’t pay attention…. I am reading early mermaid tales from the 18th and early 19th century, which is quite a lot of fun. I think it is important to find unpopular books that challenge us with unusual syntax and lost ideas. Last week I read Piers Plowman, which was challenging but gosh I felt so alive. That’s why AI won’t win – I think we grow bored of things like the Netflix template for stories. However, for that to be true people have to ask more of themselves.

My son went through a phase where all he wanted to do was go fishing. Usually when were in a “phase” (we fly through them thanks to the super-power of hyper-focus as part of our ADHD diagnoses) he wants to watch ALL the YouTube videos about that topic. In an effort to get him to read more we’ll go check out all the books about that topic. As 12 year-old boys are wont to do, he man-splained all things fishing to me. By the time we actually went fishing that big-talking man-splainer WOULD NOT TOUCH THE WORMS when it came time to hook the bait. Momma did it for him. Then when he did catch a big catfish you could tell it pained him so much to hold the slippery feller for the photo he wanted. Man, I love that kid. And I’m glad we’ve moved on to the next hyper-focus. I wasn’t so into the fishing.

I’m not one to step on a boy’s passion (sometimes hard to find); in this case, I wonder if there’s a humane alternative that you both might consider. Fish feel pain and having a hook piercing their face before they die by suffocation has to be a horrible way to go.

Omg I know Sara Glass! So glad that her memoir has reached you (and now is shared with all your readers)!