hello again :)
the fog is lifting. do you feel it too?
hellooooo friends.
i’ve missed you! I’m so delighted it’s spring, so delighted it’s aries season, mercury’s direct, all of the things. my window is open, the birds are chirping. everything is coming to life. here’s just a bit of a brain dump of what’s been on my mind lately, in no particular order! I love you!
reading
The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follet: set in 997 England, a prequel to his The Pillars of the Earth, which I read recently. He’s a great storyteller! It’s kind of like, political intrigue, lots of building stuff and figuring out new ways to build, and some love stories. My chaplain at work recommended the series. hehe. she’s super sweet.
i’ve been reading a ton of fiction set in medieval england specifically with autism-coded main characters. not sure what’s up with that but it’s good fun.
working on
cleaning up and regluing this old ‘hoosier’ cabinet (hoosier is a brand name, this one is actually made by Sellers, but that’s the style) it’s so cool, it has a built in flour sifter. and it was really gross. now its less gross. I’ve been learning a lot about wood and how to take care of it! Oiling all my cutting boards and salad bowls!
still settling in and trying to get organized. it takes so much longer than you think! especially going from places with basements to a 1940’s home with minimal storage. but i love her! she’s really good to us.
what’s helping me
this herbal sleep duo from my amazing acupuncturist: 120 of mag glycinate (thorne brand) and the Sleep Maintenance from gaia herbs pro.(it’s pricey but she told me just to take one instead of the 2 suggested on the bottle, so it will last me twice as long.) definitely helping me focus, getting better sleep!
learning/curious/interested in
My SOIL TEST RESULTS! which i haven’t sent in yet or taken the samples yet but. that will be cool! i wanna like, look at my soil under a microscope. not that i’d really know what i’m seeing. it’s been a while since i looked at soil under a microscope!!
what creatures and species will pop up in my yard and environs? beta glucans. epoxy. wood glue. how people make boats. track shelving for books? why is that so hard?
struggling with
hating all my clothes! not composting!
watching
I accidentally stayed up super late last night catching up on Outlander. Honestly I haven’t loved these seasons as much, I can’t say why really? they feel more republican coded? maybe it’s the revolutionary war stuff, which, i was raised kinda conservative where stuff like that was hot topic. but they got me with the scene where Roger prays again for the first time after have his faith rocked. (iykyk? maybe haha)
I watched the antm documentary and the manosphere back to back, haha. my friend chelsea told me I need an exorcism after that. I have thoughts written down. let’s see.
antm takeaway: you have to keep choosing integrity over success: you have to be so clear in your vision that you can say, no, that’s not the success for me or for this project.
my other biggest takeaway from that was: so much context and compassion for my young self: what a strange, crass, unnerving time to come of age.
there’s this common theme between the two: of pushing the envelope and becoming beholden to and burdened by a need to become more and more insane.
and in exploiting insecure (aka YOUNG AND FIGURING IT OUT) people.
The manosphere left more questions than answers, honestly. The dynamic of lack of father figure/ ‘i have no idea what it means to be a man’ ‘here’s how to be a man’ / and trauma. the trauma drama triangle- vascillating between perpetrator and rescuer.
both shows had this energy of coming so close: acknowledging real problems, and then just slipping on a banana peel and doubling down on the problems. oops!
I think the manosphere also reminded me how important it is to have a diversity of voices yapping on the internet! like if reasonable people who are leaders in various indrustries give up, where does that leave society as a whole? fired up to write, yap, share.
wanting to share
I want to share more of what MOVIES we’ve been watching because we watch a ton of gorgeous old films and I feel like most people don’t know where to begin there! Most recent was Bombay (1995) which has some really heavy themes (cw! mostly violence/war affecting children.)
it’s the 2nd in Mani Ratnams trio of ‘romantic terrorism dramas.’ We’ve seen the third, Dil Se (1998) (so good!) but not the first, yet, Roja (1992). So that will probably happen eventually!
We also got two Irish movies on DVD from the library from their St. Patricks display: Ryan’s Daughter (1970) (make it a Lean night) and Wild Mountain Thyme (2020) which is written + directed by the guy who made Moonstruck.
Ha! Thank you so much for for reading what turned out to be mostly TV updates! I’ve been in the deep of pisces season, the void, so i suppose that’s what feels most related to the world beyond my nose.
my work
Join me in my healing arts practice, Craniosacral therapy. In addition to the private studio I typically work out of in North Side (book here), you can find me in Manchester and the beautiful new space, Wildfire Wellness- book here. More to come!
plant of the week
violet! she’s back
Violet is spring medicine. Demure (lmao) (but actually) violet is associated with shyness. She is a demulcent, bringing moisture to stiff joints, dry respiratory passages, and digestive parts.
With balance in moisture comes flow, and balance in movement- easing lymphatic stagnation, soothing swollen glands- helpful in cases of mastitis. She softens hard edges, smooths what’s dry and jagged, and cools what’s hot and inflamed. Violets can grow just about anywhere but they prefer a cool, moist shaded environment, just like their energy.
(from last year!)