What I'm Digging

A round up of this and that catching my eye this week

Hey there, friends. Happy Friday. What a week it has been for those of us living in the US. Hard to encapsulate the full range of thoughts and feelings so many of us are experiencing right now.

But I believe in the necessity of sharing beauty and hope, especially when it feels so fleeting and fragile, as a means of reminding myself what exactly it is I want this world to ultimately be.

The joy I experience from the work of my hands and my heart ripples out to others, casting a memetic effect, empowering and revealing the often forgotten truth that we are far more powerful than we allow ourselves to believe. And in pursuing joy and beauty, we feed that power, we grow that strength.

In her essay “Living Like Weasels” (one of my all-time favorite pieces of writing by anyone ever), author Annie Dillard stresses the importance of finding your one true passion, your abiding sense of purpose, and clinging to it steadfastly:

The thing is to stalk your calling in a certain skilled and supple way, to locate the most tender and live spot and plug into that pulse. This is yielding, not fighting. A weasel doesn't "attack" anything; a weasel lives as he's meant to, yielding at every moment to the perfect freedom of single necessity.

I think it would be well, and proper, and obedient, and pure, to grasp your one necessity and not let it go, to dangle from it limp wherever it takes you. Then even death, where you're going no matter how you live, cannot you part. Seize it and let it seize you up aloft even, till your eyes burn out and drop; let your musky flesh fall off in shreds, and let your very bones unhinge and scatter, loosened over fields, over fields and woods, lightly, thoughtless, from any height at all, from as high as eagles.

When we do the things that light us up, when we engage in work that imbues us with a sense of purpose, and when we, each in our own individual way, continue to contribute to the greater good, we are fertilizing the seeds of change. I especially love this Welsh proverb my wise friend Byron Ballard shared today:

On to the round up!

*We rewatched one of my most beloved movies this week with Huxley, Little Forest. This Korean film, based on a Japanese manga series, is one of the only films I can think of that follows one specific location through all four seasons. Beginning in winter, this exquisitely beautiful film is simple, yet impactful, as it chronicles the journey of a young woman returning to her home place in the country after a foray in urban life.

*We also finally got around to watching Perfect Days, which had been on our to-watch list since it first came out. Like Little Forest, it’s a simple, slow-paced film, set in Tokyo, chronicling the days of Hirayama, who works as a toilet cleaner. It gently showcases the myriad ways in which a simple life is a good life, and how such a life is aspirational in its own way. These are the kind of films I prefer above all others. I don’t crave hype and sensationalism, shock and gore. I want to witness the magic and wonder in the mundane and the ordinary. If you know of other such movies, I actively solicit your recommendations.

*I love stone raised beds, and have been thinking of adding some up by our house (we already have one large bed filled with culinary herbs). This variation of a French knot garden is speaking to my soul.

*I have been a fan of Australian designer and author Anna Carlile for some time, having picked up her book Connect With Nature years back. Her newest book, Wild Life, focuses on the concept of rewilding one’s life (in last week’s WID roundup, I shared a link on rewilding front lawns). Through 50 projects, the book suggests ways to rewild your life from the home to the outdoors. Glenn surprised me with a copy of the book last week, and I’m already halfway through, as it’s as stunning to view as it is inspirational to read.

*Late Bloomer is a fall blooming wildflower seed mix from Eden Brothers (which just so happens to be about 25 minutes from our home!). A cheeky name and a beautiful blend? Sign me up!

*I think it’s safe to say that most of us are living in a time of great pressure. While reducing stress sounds lovely in theory, in practice it presents countless challenges, for countless reasons. While there are some steps we can take towards mitigating stressors in our lives, others (relocating, changing careers, leaving relationships, what have you) might not be feasible at the present moment. What we can do, though, is bring in help as we navigate life’s pressures. In her book Under Pressure, herbalist and educator Janet Kent, alongside images from artist Roger Peet, details 12 adaptogenic plants and how they can serve as great allies in times of pressure:

In physics, resilience is the word used to describe the ability of a body to withstand stress. For us, resilience means the capacity to recover from or adjust to misfortune or change. This guide to twelve plants that can help increase or enhance resilience in times of upheaval and uncertainty includes essays about the physiology of stress, instructions for making herbal medicine, and twelve essays about particular plant medicines, their indications, and their use, accompanied by original woodcut illustrations of each species.

*Burrata. Cherries. Pistachios. Olive oil. Mint. Done. The brilliance of Smitten Kitchen’s Burrata with Crushed Cherries and Pistachios lies in its profound simplicity. This is what you make when it is far too hot out to even consider turning on the range.

*The Trolls are coming to Asheville! In their first North American visit, the naturally crafted trolls of Danish artist Thomas Dambo will be on display at the North Carolina Arboretum November 15 to February 17. If you’ve ever thought of visiting western NC, this would be the time to do so!

*Heidi Swanson never misses, and her Deviled Egg Toast is evidence of that. An open-faced hybrid between egg salad and deviled eggs, this is a tartine made in heaven.

*When you find the ideal word to describe an occurrence, it feels like the Earth tilts perfectly on its axis, and the stars seamlessly align. Such a word exists in “vellichor”, detailed thusly by Ella Patrice in the Word Nerd feature of her site La Whimsy:

Vellichor is such a divinely poignant word and is fully defined by The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows as The strange wistfulness of used bookstores, which are somehow infused with the passage of time – filled with thousands of old books you’ll never have time to read, each of which is itself locked in its own era, bound and dated and papered over like an old room the author abandoned years ago, a hidden annex littered with thoughts left just as they were on the day they were captured.

I’m off to enjoy some French toast, maybe bake a peach pie, and spend a quiet day with my Englishmen.

Whatever the weekend brings you, wherever you go, and whomever you do it with, may it be grand! Take good care.