What I’m Reading, Cooking, and Watching This Spring
Notes on the Spring Equinox —
If there’s one thing I’ll do, it’s lean fully into the changing seasons.
I think part of it is where I live. My friend/human design guru Madalyn told me that my ideal environment is “mountain,” which means I feel safest and most secure when I’m up above. What that looked like as a kid was always choosing the top bunk at sleep away camp, and what it looks like now is living on the top floor of a duplex with a balcony that overlooks the city and the water (s/o to my landlord for the hookup).
The effect, in essence, of me living and looking up here is that I’m hyper aware of the seasons — the blooms, the water, and the breeze are all intimately familiar to me. The way the light changes sings me to sleep at night and coaxes me awake in the morning.
It’s all gently urging me to lean into a soft spring. So amidst all of the priorities and social events and scrolling (truly so much endless scrolling…) I’m eager to use this blog as a place to stretch my writing muscles, reflect on some good things, and bring some romance to the mundane.
So, in that spirit, here’s some of the good bits of the spring season so far.
Reading
I joined my first ever book club (well, other than the mother-daughter book club at Barnes & Noble in the early 2000s) and this meeting’s read was Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah.
This book was the perfect palate cleanser after finishing Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass series (which I couldn’t recommend more highly!) and I really enjoyed it. It was a portrait of love and loss set against the backdrop of a sleepy small town and nature research site. There was intrigue, some good twists, and a beautifully written, mysterious young girl who will steal your heart.
Like…are we seeing this?
Cooking
I’ve been loving cooking and eating seasonally, and no one does it better than Hailee Catalano on TikTok. She is truly a modern day Ina??? And I love following her for simple, soulful recipes with the volume turned up (as our Barefoot Contessa would say). I recently made her kale and white bean salad for a dinner party and it was a huge hit, and next on my list is this buttered leek fettuccine.
Additionally, it wouldn’t be a spring post without yapping about gnocchi night. A friend and I get together once per season to create a meal based around adding delicious, seasonal ingredients to gnocchi. It’s the simplest and most special tradition ever, and I can’t wait for our summer edition (I’m feeling tomatoes and grilled corn, yes?).
Watching
Quite frankly I’m never not watching TV, but here are some current faves:
Vanderpump Rules — Surprisingly bad. S11 is not that girl.
The Valley — Surprisingly good!
Supernatural — Okay one thing about me is that I LOVE campy spooky shows about supernatural beings. So if you have a fave, PLEASE let me know what it is and I’ll watch it as soon as I’m done with all 15 seasons of this absolute chaos.
Baby Reindeer — My current Roman Empire. Introspective, dark, poignant. It’s about a bartender who gets stalked by a patron, but it’s so much more than that. It was written by and stars the guy it actually happened to, so the storytelling is intense and vulnerable. Trigger warning for abuse and SA.
I think I’ll leave it here for this month! Happy spring, friends. I’d love to know how you’re spending yours.
May your windows be open and your pollen count be low.
