Category Exercises in not taking myself too seriously
The saga of the Seattle bathroom
I bought the house in 2014. The primary bathroom was just fine. The tiles weren’t necessarily what I would have chosen, but I loved the big window in the shower, and I decorated with some eclectic things collected on travels. The before – original But there were hidden problems Beefier long in started noticing mineral […]
Speaking of flowers… those lilies did not cooperate 🤨
After two full weeks —aka eternity—the lilies finally deigned to bloom. By then nearly all the berries had turned brown, the pussy willow buds had either dropped off or begun to sprout—and the lilies weren’t even white. Pink! Sigh. But it’s good lesson in the importance of getting the timing right in floristry. And of […]
The hand bouquet
The second task in my floristry class was to create a hand bouquet—meaning a bouquet constructed with stems held in hand, rather than inserted into a vase. The result was supposed to be compact, roughly symmetrical and appealing from all sides—something in the vein of a bridal bouquet. I chose to build mine with a […]
Stolen!
At 10am today I unloaded groceries from my car. At 12:30pm I went back k down into the garage to leave for a wedding—only to find, well, nothing; an empty stall (that’s mine in the middle) and no car to be found! So I called the police to start the process of filing the stolen […]
Solstice!
Shortest day of the year. Is it mystical? Ummm… maybe to some. For me, no. Most years I find the darkness fascinating and almost wish it would continue to Nordic levels. But this year it’s just been dark and grey and hard to get up in the morning. I’m really happy to be on the […]
My bedroom is so famous
Look what Ashley found on Pinterest! A pirated photo of my bedroom with “bird wall art” photoshopped onto the wall by Etsy craftspersons. As a lawyer, I’m supposed to be indignant at the infringement of my copyright. As a designer, I question the adulteration of my ensemble with uninvited decor. But as a human being […]
Kidney stones!
I’m going to start with gratitude. For the emergency room doctors, nurses, and technicians who took care of me; for the ambulance drivers who took me to them and made empathetic small talk on the way; for my dad who answered my early anxious phone call and encouraged me to seek care right away in […]
A new set of wheels
After three great years of living car-free in London, I find myself back in the Land of the Free where cars are king and I need one. I had intended to buy a car that first week after my return, but I put it lower on my list of priorities than unpacking my ceramics and […]
Roses!
Now that I’m a gardener of roses I get to do glamorous things like accidentally break several branches while planting and then make the best of it by putting the blossoms in a pretty vase on my dining room table and feeling joy every time I look at them.
Two good things
We’ve been on lockdown now for four weeks now, and I’ve been working 16-18 hour days for most of that, weekends included. The two things are related and there’s no end in sight for either. But two other things help me feel a tiny bit human notwithstanding: First, I got a haircut today! After the […]
A More Gentlemanlike Manner 