To Read: Articles
What two fictional Gileads can teach us about America // Alissa Wilkinson // “Marilynne Robinson and Margaret Atwood both set their novels in fictional Gileads, but that name has a much older history.” Someone give Alissa an award for this brilliant piece.
Why Ditching Processed Foods Won’t Be Easy — Barriers To Cooking From Scratch // Sarah Bowen, Sinikka Elliott, Joslyn Brenton // “The study confirms what we’ve been hearing for years: Cooking from scratch and eating “real food” is better and healthier. The problem is that knowing this doesn’t make it any more doable for the average family.”
Q&A: Michael Foley, A Modern Advocate for Traditional Farming // Joan Bailey // “His new book shares his knowledge in hopes of building a resilient future.”
Granola: A Newsletter // Gracy Olmstead // Gracy has become a new favorite for her wonderful writing on the good stuff of life worth wresting with and for. As for the newsletter, it will focus on everything we all need more of: farms, community, home, food, and books.
Let’s Hear It For The Average Child // Margaret Renkl // I have always been the average child, the one with lots of interests, the B student surrounded by A+ students for friends, the plodder amongst the extremely driven ones. And I have taught these kinds of middle schoolers. Character and virtue ought to be celebrated and cheered on just as much.
14 Millennials Got Honest About How They Afforded Homeownership // Anne Helen Petersen // It’s a long one, but if I’ve learned anything from Anne’s work, it’s that it’s long because it’s insightful, valuable, and thorough. These profiles were fascinating.
To Read: Books
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis // J.D. Vance // Audiobook // This book was the book-cousin equivalent to Tara Westover’s Educated: A Memoir. Both sought to retell and explain the childhoods, family life, and communities in which they grew up. They both chronicle their means of survival and escape in various way from the negative aspects of these cloistered and unique communities, as much as they loved them. These authors each went on to Ivy League schools. Untangling the ramifications of their childhoods, full of trauma and unhealthy dynamics, was fascinating to hear. We won’t know about any communities or segments of society until we listen to learn, and learn to understand. This book was a great exercise in doing just that.
To Watch
Joseph Solomon — Safe Retreat (Kings Kaleidoscope Cover) // I will love anything this man sings.
To Listen: Music
Cavina — New Ground // She’s collaborated with Zach Winters (also a musical dream), so I knew I would love this new record. It’s lovely.
Carly Rae Jepsen — EMOTION: Side B // Jakob’s got me listening to Carly on repeat, and loving it.
Mat Kearney — Nothing Left To Lose // One day I was listening to new Mat Kearney…. amazed he is even still making music…. remembering the time I used one of his songs as the poem I analyzed for a high school English class…. From this album, obviously.
Bon Iver — Hey, Ma + U (Man Like) // Bon Iver has come out with two singles this year and they are as wonderful as you’d imagine.
Denzel Curry — ZUU // Just minding my business, listening to a banger of a song (SPEEDBOAT), when a legit prayer shows up unannounced. This album goes hard but I love a good portion of it (some of it is trash, so).
Future — SAVE ME // I woke up with one of these tracks in my head. It’s really an intoxicating work and I love the sound of it all.
To Make
Borracho Beans // This is probably going to be a staple. It’s so easy and relatively cheap to make a huge batch for the week. We love Tex Mex everything so it works out to combine with other things for an easy, filling meal.
Fresh Veggies // They’re especially tasty drizzled with lime juice / olive oil / lemon pepper.
Frozen Watermelon Cubes // Still usin’ and eatin’ them. These little watermelons are so cute and make me drink more water.
To Cultivate
Sharing In The Twitter Fun // For a retweet you could get your profile photo sketched by this fun & generous person.
Finding The Good n Local Parts Of Your Town // This weekend, that meant downtown’s First Friday outdoor music and art crawling with friends, watching a soap box derby race and walking downtown, finding refreshments at a familiar, friendly place, and sweating through a walk at a new-to-me (and gorgeous) park.
Lowkey Evenings-Turned Local Dates // Recycling drop-off. Ace Hardware errand. Walk in the garden we took wedding photos at. Summer treats. The Office. I love him, like him, and enjoy life with him.
Luminous and Liminal 
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