Image via.
Bare bark now softened by the smudging bloom:
our stalwart front yard tree, the one who lost its leaves and then stood naked through winter,
suddenly backrolled into a blur of blossom.
Spring is everything growing quickly, and all at once.
This momentum carries us along with it. We finds ourselves busy with plans and unnovel ideas: sort the garage, sell the baby strollers, get outside into the green and yielding day. I am energized by it, and sometimes too much. There is a point at which the stimulant spring feels like over-exertion. On the phone this week, my sister said: “I don’t know if it’s the sudden change in seasons, but we’re agitated. We just want to get out, do things!” I knew exactly what she meant. That April agita!
But these petals will soon litter the lawn, and this month of bustle will give way to the languor of high summer. Nothing gold can stay, as Robert Frost put it.
How have I never noticed how receptive I am to the turn of seasons? How the trees in their various stages of dress and disrobe affect my mood and manner? And yet this impressionability is a comfort to me. I learned this week that spiders can dream, that dolphins have accents, and that ants bury their dead. We are, after all, just nature. As small and great.
Post-Scripts.
+”Meanwhile, the world goes on.”
+Nora Ephron, romance, and language.
+Writing is like shaking hands with a blank page.
Shopping Break.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation.
+Two great new arrivals at Boden: these sandals, which remind me of a pair from Isabel Marant about 6x the price, and this fun striped-bottom dress, which I’d pair with a fun sandal like this.
+I do not need another pretty spring/summer dress — I already have a whole fleet lined up!! — and yet this striped wonder is in my cart.
+My MIL tucked a chain mail pot scrubber into my stocking a few years back and it’s one of the best cleaning tools in our arsenal. It is so much better than those steel wool pads that trap moisture, grit, and bacteria! You can toss this one in the dishwasher after a good scrub, and it never stinks!
+There’s an active conversation (especially on Substack) about whether or not Sambas or in/out. I say where what you love and will continue to sport my mint green Sambas! (They are also supremely comfortable.) But. For something just a little different, the Handball Spezials are available in such good colors right now — do I need these blue ones?!
+OMG – I had a wicker elephant side table just like this in my room when I was growing up. So fun and unexpected. Would be cute in a living space, too. And, if you want something a little less “extra,” this $119 wicker side table is excellent. I have one in my studio! It frequently sells out but you can currently order for delivery in early May.
+Love the pattern on this Parterre skirt. So chic!
+Good American’s take on the Hunza G suit — under $100. (Details, fit, etc on my favorite Hunza G here.)
+You had me at white eyelet. I can’t get enough of it! (Also love this adjacent white embroidered mini from Mille’s new collection, which is BANANAS!)
+These $30 knot sandals are adorable.
+This female-founded small business makes shampoo bars, which are a big trend among the environmentally conscious, as they do not involve single-use plastic bottles. I like that this brand sells different styles of bars for different purposes (volume, clarification, etc.). The packaging is gorgeous, too. If you’re interested in green beauty, you should follow my friend Maggie. She’s an expert in this area!
When I moved from MA to DC for college, it was startling to me how DC has a REAL spring, unlike New England! I think I knew that on an intellectual level, but experiencing a uniformly lovely April, unlike the mid-40s and pouring rain Aprils of my upbringing, was a pleasant shock to the system. Although I was not a fan of the fact of the flip side of that, which was the 80 degree temperatures well into October…
Love this – such a shock to move even a few states north or south! xx
I SO relate to the urge to get outside this time of year! After a Michigan winter (an admittedly mild one this year), it’s easy to prioritize time outside on the first warm days. I’m willing to move plans, push back dinner prep, etc. in order to enjoy the weather. But once the novelty wears off, it’s too easy to stay in, be rigid, etc. I’m also experiencing spring cleaning fever! With very little margin to do extra cleaning, so it’s a long, agitated (as you said) process!! But I am going to try to carry both practices further into the year…with the aim of a 15 min daily morning walk, and maybe one bigger cleaning/tidying project per week? Ok, better put down my coffee, get out and start as I mean to go on!
I hear you on this – I’ve been saying I’m going to finally sell or donate a bunch of baby stuff and random furniture we no longer need for…years. I need to get it done. I know it will require me to “calendar” a Saturday or Sunday…or maybe even a work day to do it, and it’s so daunting / never feels convenient!!
xx