The April Love List
It’s the end of April and time for the love list, my monthly roundup of good stuff I saw, encountered, read this month.
Even though it’s awe-inspiring to watch the moon move in front of the sun, I think the primary reason this month’s eclipse was so emotional was the shared human experience. Seeing crowds of people standing together, cheering for a celestial phenomenon was a reminder that we’re all here, a part of nature witnessing itself.
Eli and I made a quick trip to Nashville to see a Mitski show this month. It was a fun, although rainy, adventure.
Our garden, otherwise known as The Double H Native Plant Cafe & Pollinator Highway, is buzzing. The Witch Hazel has leafed out, the bees and butterflies have arrived. We moved the branches out of the beds and stacked them up as bug snugs. I saw a dragonfly yesterday.
Growing host plants and tending to the pollinators fills us with joy. I keep having this daydream where we get rid of most of our possession, dress in gnome and mushroom print overalls everyday, drink our coffee out of Yeti mugs and talk to plants. Does anyone want to pay us for that?
On a trip to Wild Birds Unlimited this month, we discovered they had plants from Ironweed, so we picked up some Indian Pink. A few days later we went back and a new delivery from Ironweed had arrived, so…more plants for us…including a Spicebush, and a New Jersey Tea (we have to find a rabbit fence for that one.)
Rose of Sharon is invasive in Kentucky, but they’re beautiful so we’ve left ours alone. One of them didn’t come back this year, however, so we cut it down, cleaned up the area around it and planted some Golden Alexanders and Hairy Beardtongue in that space. It’s so cool to see that patch of the side yard come alive in a new way.
We also discovered an assortment of natives at Pemberton’s.
I decided to start some sunflower seeds indoors this year just to see what would happen and they are sprouting! I’m not sure where I’m going to put them - but I’m going to put them somewhere! I’m also getting some zinnias and native wildflower seeds in the ground. And I’m making painted garden signs.
I’m listening to The Tortured Poet’s Department and The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.
I started using my diffuser again at night. (I’m not sure why I stopped.) Cedarwood + lavender + this = brain peace.
I had coffee with a friend at Kenwick Table and it was such a nice thing to do. There was a cat on the patio there. I don’t know if he lives at the cafe or one of the neighboring houses, but it was lovely to see him there, basking in the sun.
April greens:
Links:
📺 Vildhjärta on Connection Between Mental and Environmental Degradation (I relate to her so deeply.)
👩🏻💻 One Thing We Need to Learn
📺 Brandy Hellville and the Cult of Fast Fashion
👩🏻💻 A review of Cowboy Carter by a certified hillbilly son of the South from the streets of Nashville
🎬 Zone of Interest is breath-taking; one of the best films ever made I think. How did this not win the Oscar for Best Picture?!?
👩🏻💻 In Memory of Nicole Brown Simpson
🎬 Taylor Camp is interesting, but it’s the photos that really got me. The photos are stunning.
👩🏻💻 Native Plants are Not Lawn Ornaments
📺 You don’t have to believe anything.
As you probably know, my writing mostly lives at Substack now. If you’re interested in that content, I hope you’ll check it out.
This space - the one right here, where your eyeballs are right now - remains the home of these monthly love lists. I’m also think of adding a feature here where I will make recipes from my collection of hippie cookbooks. So, stay tuned for that because who doesn’t want to eat some commune food!?
Here we go into May. I’ll see you there!