Earth Day couldn’t have arrived at a nicer time in Chicago. The trees are just beginning to leaf out; warmer weather is not only here, but seems to be thinking about staying. The magnolias and daffodils are in bloom, and the peonies are growing!
Looking for a way to mark the day? May I suggest:
- Reading something from Michael Pollan. He writes so well, and really got me thinking about the way we eat in America, and to be more thoughtful about our food, and more importantly, motivated me to make some changes in our diet. If you have a lot of time, I suggest The Omnivore’s Dilemma. (Easily one of my favorite reads from 2007.) If you have a little time, read In Defense of Food. And if you don’t have any time to read, you still should check out his piece in Sunday’s NYTimes Magazine, “Why Bother?”. It’ll motivate you to make a small change (or keep with it).
- A nice companion to Michael Pollan’s writing is the movie King Corn. We watched it last week, and my son was fascinated by the work that goes in to farming an acre of corn. Not to mention the politics of farming. (You’ll get to see and hear from Michael Pollan, too!)
- As Whole Foods officially says goodbye to plastic bags today, I have to share my favorite shopping tote. My Reisenthel Carrybag (orange, of course) is permanently in the trunk of my Mini, ready to go. I use it all the time on my Target runs: it’s the perfect combination of shopping basket while in the store and plastic bag reducer when you’re finished shopping. (It’s also a conversation starter at the checkout.) Get yours at Garnet Hill.
Happy Earth Day! Until tomorrow …..
Wow. What a fabulous weather weekend (and no, I did not make it over to the Antiques & Garden Fair). My favorite U10 soccer team started the spring season with two wins, and my teeth were not chattering on the sidelines. Sunday’s game was actually warm and summer-like! But I promised you a story about insomnia, and if you’d like to stay up late, here’s how it’s done:
- Watch television. At my house, that would be ESPN. (I’m actually starting to like Sports Center. Go Red Sox!) See an Acura commercial with a catchy tune from your childhood (yeah, I’m old). Misremember that it’s Cheap Trick. Go to iTunes to purchase. Discover that it’s Supertramp. (I think we’ve already established that I’m old.)
- Purchase song. Listen a couple of times. Not too much, you don’t want to tire of it, but hey, it’s been a while, and it’s not like Acura plays the whole song.
- Run errands; go out to dinner. In brief: enjoy a typical Saturday afternoon/evening.
- Husband and son are tired and fall asleep immediately. You stay up and do laundry (there’s a dirty soccer jersey that needs to be clean before morning). That’s okay, you’re not tired yet anyway.
- Laundry done, you’re ready to sleep. Not so fast: it’s time to revisit that Supertramp song. “Dreamer” is on a loop in your head and it will not stop.
- Trying to shut it down, you get up and read. No go. Reading makes you tired, but once you lie down, Supertramp is there to serenade you.
- Grasping at straws, set the iPod to a This American Life podcast and hope for the best.
- Finally, sleep.
Do not try this at home.
See you tomorrow.
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Another glorious spring day. Who would’ve thunk it just one short month ago? Looking forward to more of the same …..
On with the Five:
- clean
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Orchid 1
- Spring Sun
- Fruity Mix
#5 sounds perfect on a Friday afternoon!
Have a wonderful (warm? sunny?) weekend. See you back here on Monday.
Seriously. This is all it takes, people. Just give me a day above 70, and I shift into bliss. I’m full of energy, ready to tackle anything. Driving home from Pilates, my car told me it was 71, and I started to smile. And then I hit the flower store for some ranunculi. Gorgeous, huh?
If you’re looking for things to do this weekend: Egg Press in Portland, Oregon is having a sample sale Thursday through Saturday. $1 for single cards! Now that is a deal. Plus, you can screen print an item from home with one of four Egg Press designs! (Read more about it at eggpress.com. I’m intrigued.) If it weren’t a four hour plane ride, I’d be there, amassing my bounty. If you’re closer than that, check it out and report back, won’t you?
Locally, it’s the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Antiques & Garden Fair. The preview party is Thursday night, and then the fair continues through the weekend. I’m hoping to somehow sneak in a visit. The website looks so tempting. (And I know, Jayson Home & Garden’s European Flea Market is also going on this weekend. Much as I would like to go, I know that it’s not going to happen. Two soccer games and a piano recital are staring me down.)
Back tomorrow with the Five. Hooray for spring!
Oh, and one more thing: my florist has peonies! Huge swoon!
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Tuesday was windy, but warm. Nothing like a little taste of spring to lift the spirits. Lots of things are making me happy today, like
- running outside. Okay, so my hat blew off with 1/2 mile to go, but still. The treadmill had been looking a little too familiar lately.
- planting pansies in the pots/urns on our front steps. I use lots of blues; they seem to hold up better once the heat arrives.
- Victoria Magazine’s May/June issue will feature San Francisco’s Miette, and Kohler, WI! (Plus a gorgeous wedding. I love the bridesmaid dresses featured on Victoria’s home page.) I’m still on the fence about the relaunch of Victoria. I want to love it, but so far it’s just feeling like a really good fake. I miss the “real thing”, like that awesome August shops issue. Hopefully, once I get my hands on this, and read through it, I’ll feel the love.
- Julianne Moore is the Harper’s Bazaar May cover (love her!)
- the movie King Corn, which I’ve been waiting to see, is running on PBS Independent Lens …. check your local airtime at pbs.org.
- the internet/blogosphere makes the world a very, very small place. (Good to meet you, Erika. You are ultra-talented.)
- we have flowers! Finally! See photo above.
Until tomorrow. Spring has sprung, and even if it’s temporary, I’m celebrating.
