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I’ve been writing about summer lately. The first kiss of 62 degree weather will do that to you; you remember, all at once, the matchless feeling of sun-warmed skin. My mind immediately swims to the beginning of July, when the languid heat of the Midatlantic summer has unpacked and put away its suitcases: it has settled in, with no plans to leave, and it is hot and still. Around that time of year, the fireflies in our trees are a glittering marvel. We walk outside once the sun has set and gape at the majestic display while swatting mosquitos, tumblers of rose sweating in our palms. The flagstone path to our front door is still-warm from the day’s sun; the night sky is not yet black. We are barefoot and unwinding. Everything, including Mother Nature, is lazy and loose. And in front of us, thousands of tiny winged creatures improvise a light show for about seven consecutive nights between late June and early July, after which I suppose they die in great numbers? But what a life, anyway: built to shine. Effortless, ecstatic streaks in a dark world. Of course, we show up nightly for their frontyard performance.
I realized as I wrote this paragraph that this particular tradition has become one of my favorite seasonal rituals. It is, truly, magic — the fireflies exist in such unbelievable numbers; you wouldn’t believe it. There are thousands and thousands glowing in sequence, like a silent set of fireworks, or a abrupt visual morse code cluing me into the vastness of the ecosystem around me.
This made me wonder – what are your some of your treasured off-beat seasonal rituals? I’m talking things like “The Nutcracker Lounge” (scroll down) one of our Magpies shared with us last year — the narrow and hyper-local ways we mark the change in seasons. Maybe it’s gathering peaches from your uncle’s peach tree, or canning fruit with your grandmother, or planting the spring garden. Maybe it’s the swimming of the horses in Chincoteague, or tapping trees for maple syrup. Whatever it is, would you share? Sometimes I feel we are so disconnected from the natural world and its mountainous and minute rhythms. I’d love to celebrate the ways we still connect with our turn around the sun.
Post-Scripts.
+More on the firefly phenomenon here.
+Imprints of a new lifestyle (reflections on our move from NYC to suburban MD).
Shopping Break.
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+You all loved this denim shirt last week — resharing here and also offering a look for less. I LOVE denim on denim — try it! Matching washes gives a polished look, but mixed can also work well.
+Gap has some great new arrivals — this barn jacket feels like Doen but less $$, this denim dress is reminiscent of La Ligne, and I love all the color options for these barrel jeans — especially the khaki!
+Related to the khaki-colored jeans: I was just looking at Ulla Johnson’s spring collection and loved all the utility-inspired colors/pieces, like these statement jeans, this jacket, and this skirt. I’d urge you to consider the jacket. A statement jacket like the Ulla can do a lot of work for you during this transitional period. I just got my Loeffler Randall jacket late last week and it completely transforms my uniform of a white tee and jeans.
+We’re getting to the time of year where this becomes my friend top layer over athleisure / jeans / etc for casual wear. Love the silhouette, colors, stripes, etc. A perfect sweatshirt. I have in two colors and gave to my mother and MIL.
+It’s going to be a skirt-heavy season for me this spring. I’ve already been styling my Doen skirt, but I also ordered this pretty linen skirt in ecru. Will look SO polished with brown leather sandals, a white tee, and a straw bag.
+ICYMI: Hill House did a big drop two weeks ago and I’m especially into this green pattern in either this style or this one. Selling out!
+CUTE Target find. Love several of the colors! The green especially!
+Ordered this cute gingham top ($54!).
+Bought my daughter these purple jeans and she flipped out. She loves the baggy sihouette!
+Gorgeous statement earrings, and on sale!
+I love statement earrings — often wear chunky gold ones — but on days where I one something lower key, my two go-tos are these Luciens from Dorsey and these delicate crossover huggies from Dana Rebecca.
Once summer begins, we haunt the website of our sea turtle nesting schedule, so we can drive down in the wee hours to watch the tiny babies scurry towards the sea at sunrise. It’s such a beautiful and glorious experience!!
This is so gorgeous. I’ve always wanted to witness this!
I love this topic so much, and I’m so glad you raised it, Jen! I worked a corporate job for most of my 20s and 30s, and one of the primary reasons I left it was that I became so disconnected from life…coming and going when it was dark outside, constantly being in a climate-controlled environment, etc. it was so easy to lose track of the seasons and time as a whole. I’m now a stay-at-home mom to two toddlers, and one of my primary goals for our family is to live more closely with nature, so I’ve thought a lot about this topic over the past few years!
-I try to cook with seasonal ingredients and also with the season in mind (heartier meals in winter, lighter meals in summer, no ice/raw salads/smoothies when it’s cold…Ayurveda is an excellent guide on this topic)
-As many of the other commenters noted, I make specific meals for specific celebrations marking holidays, birthdays and the birthdays of loved ones who have passed
-On the topic of holidays, I’ve started observing the solstices and equinoxes and have found that those really help anchor us in the turning of the seasons. We’ve really enjoyed getting creative and finding new traditions that work for our family
-We spend a lot of time outside, and I’ve found that simply observing the changes in nature day to day has had a profound impact on my appreciation for its ebbs and flows
-We make seasonal crafts and often use them to decorate our home as a way to bring the outside in (fall leaf garlands, acorn wreath, spring bulb terrarium)
-One of my friends trades out her framed family photos for each major holiday; for instance, past photos of her family in Halloween costumes. I’m aspiring to that!
-I keep a drawer of season/holiday specific children’s books and rotate them in as the seasons change. I also have books that I reread at appropriate times each year (Enchanted April, Wintering, Little Women)
-I (attempt to) read from A Nature Poem for Every Day of the Year with my children at breakfast although the poems are admittedly more for me than them at this stage
One beautiful and unexpected outcome of this new focus in my life is that I find so much wonder and joy in each season rather than rushing through certain parts of the year or find myself longing for a different season.
These are so gorgeous – I love the small ways you’ve woven the turn of seasons into your everyday life. Just gorgeous and so inspiring!
And I love the way it’s made you feel more present and comfortable in each season (vs. rushing to the next thing). Truly inspiring!!
xx
Every spring we join a friend’s family for their version of an annual family reunion. On the last weekend in April we caravan up into the Blueridge Mountains to forage the spring called Ramps. We wash them in the waterfalls or creeks that are nearby then plop them in our Bloody Mary’s and sing a family Ramp song.
Everyone retreats for the afternoon, cooking up a concoction with their new crop. We reconvene on the family farm for a potluck, bonfire, and bluegrass. To say it is magical is an understatement. I love family traditions, I’m grateful to be included and I love that we connect with the changing of the season.
Oops; spring onion. A cross between a green onion and a shallot.
Oh my gosh, this is the stuff of dreams. I absolutely love this tradition — how beautiful? Also, Landon and I absolutely LOVE ramps.
xx
Oh man, so many. Winter: I always go for a long walk just before sunset on the winter solstice. Late fall/early winter: buying a pack of my favorite seasonal beer, Sierra Nevada fresh hop IPA. Getting the down comforter out of its storage bag and putting in on my bed. Spring: putting said down comforter away, and taking my winter wool coats to the dry cleaner. Buying my annual bottle of Zyrtec pills! When the water fountains get turned back in on the park. Late spring: Getting the docks and boats out and into the water. Cleaning all the pine pollen off of everything. Summer: when the first stone fruit appears at the farmers market! Manhattan’s summer streets in August. Late summer: putting the docks and boats away, laundering and putting away all the linens from the guest house for the last time. I realize a lot of these are chores, but oh well!
This is such a beautiful reframing of chores, though – they’re really ministrations to the change in seasons! Devotions to their transience. Beautiful!!
xx
I’m a terrible gardener and with four kids the front of our house reads more lots-of-play-happens-here than curb-appeal. The lawn is littered with detritus from various games, collected sticks and rocks, random necessary holes from digging, and a dozen different balls in various states of inflation. HOWEVER…along our fence every spring we plant zinnias in abundance. It’s haphazard and messy and boy do they grow without much attention. So for a few months the front of our house is a splash of wild color and neighbors often stop to admire. I love this tradition and its easy beauty. We also have a spring race to spot the first Daffodil and tulip. Finally, and I got this from a cupofjo reader comment, in the summer we will randomly yell PAJAMA ICE CREAM once the kids are already in bed and we all go out for ice cream. What a thrill!
This was such a delight to read, Jessica — the phrases “easy beauty” and “growing without much attention” are so poetic and evocative. Easy beauty!! That’s Mother Nature, isn’t it…
My kids would lose their minds over the pajama ice cream date. Might need to steal that one too 🙂
xx
Some of my seasonal rituals get very Catholic!! I do crepes for chandeleur/Candlemas. My family always made homemade pizza on Fridays in Lent since my mom doesn’t like fish. It’s Fat Tuesday tomorrow, and we always would make Fastnachts (like chips of fried dough) but I think I’ll likely make some more local fried foods, like panisse. I used to host a legendary Saint Patrick’s Day party with homemade corned beef brisket, an evolving playlist, and Irish coffees. Easter means my mom’s carrot zucchini cake, and I like to plant seeds around then even though I’m a terrible gardener. In the summer I fry peaches in brown butter and honey and serve them with buttered panko crumbs over top. Summer weeknights we take family walks and look at the stars since it’s so hot here in the day. My dad always met the school bus with fresh chocolate chip cookies on the first and last day of school! I make apple butter in the fall. Soup season finds me making bone broth and stashing like a squirrel. Advent is spent making cookies and homemade Christmas ornaments. My husband has very seasonal beer preferences and I love when we switch from stouts and porters to IPAs and pilsners. By the pool we always order watermelon. I find such joy in the farmer’s market fruits, and even though there’s an official truffle festival and the like, when something new arrives I overbuy and we have a festival of corn, or kale, or peaches.
Reading this is pure poetry, Kelly! Please tell me you’re sharing these stories — and that these can be read — in your own writing space?? xx
Agree, Aoife!! She has such a beautiful way with words!
I love these, Kelly – especially the note about overbuying when things first come into season. I’m the same way — dewy-eyed over cherries and corn. We’ve had a few seasons of bad corn here – not sure why – and I’m hopeful that this year will prove different because there is nothing better than grilled, salted, buttered corn in the summer.
Thank you for this evocative list!
xx