Hanging in there for a new month
Wow so has anyone else been totally decimated by daylight saving time or just me? I lived in Hawaii for almost two glorious years where they do not observe this absolutely befuddling practice of nonsense and tomfoolery. There has never been a moment more that I have rued the day I was born to this earth than watching my child laying on the floor in a weeping state on and off for almost two hours because she was so darn exhausted and I had to keep her awake so she would sleep at least partly for a few reasonable hours. What horseshit it is, and also nobody wants this so why do we continue to observe this? Because it’s just what we do, what we have always done and ah it is what it is. You know what though, if Hawaii and Arizona can opt out then I think the rest of us could surely convince this silly government to opt out en masse. Now this is a political issue I could rally behind.
Sorry dear ones for complaining so, my daughter has been up at 4:30 am the last two days and I did not know that we would get rocked by this so hard. I have been about a year or so out from the sleep deprivation of the newborn days and I forgot how dreadful they are.
Onward, to some positive things to enrich our sweet, little noodle brains with this coming week.
Reads
Suleika Jaouad is a writer who I have delightfully read for a long time and whose personal story, Between Two Kingdoms, is a brilliant and eviscerating read. I also gleefully listen to the music of Jon Batiste and love that he took over hosting an edition of this newsletter for his sweet love. Imagine being bound up in a relationship with such creative zest and life. Oh, it’s delicious.
So what if Martha Stewart is a perfectionist control freak? by Constance Grady, Vox.com
There is a new documentary out on Netflix that looks verrrry interesting about the controversial cooking darling Martha Stewart. She herself has criticised the show and that is an interesting spin on the whole thing. I plan on watching it this weekend so we shall see what is illuminated, she certainly seems to be a very multi-dimensional, complex person.
Bants
Following on from sharing a piece of writing from Jon Batiste, I feel needs must compel me to share with you the Architectural Digest Open Door tour of their divine home. It epitomises them, I feel, when you watch it. The celebration of play, creation, love, and self-expression is all there. They genuinely seem to love each other and their home feels like…well a home. It is nurturing and unpredictable and feels true to who they are as a couple and as individuals. It is not staged, removed, calculated, or impersonal which so often feels the case in a lot of celebrity homes especially when they have the means to own and decorate it at the highest price point. This video just makes me smile, I hope it does for you also.
Eats
The book choice for the month of October in my family book club was ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King. While I am not a horror genre person myself, I don’t have the iron will to hold back the flood of intrusive thoughts that run away with my sanity in the wake of terror, I do appreciate the absolute enthralling excellence that is King’s writing. I enjoyed The Shining when I read it years ago and this book, only his second written, was surprisingly delightful, chilling, and perfect for the season. After finishing the book, I was so inspired by the eerie tale I decided to concoct a spooky beverage themed around the story for consumption on the night of Halloween.
Firstly, I made my own simple syrup. You could buy something to do in place of this if you wanted but this was easy. 1:1 ratio of sugar to water always for simple.
Mixed Berry Simple
680g frozen mixed berries
2 cups of water
2 cups of white sugar
Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce, and simmer tasting to see when the desired level of berriness is achieved. I cooked for approx 15-20 mins. Smash berries with a ladle or masher and strain through a fine mesh strainer twice to remove the pulp. Keeps for up to two weeks well in the fridge.
‘Salem’s Lot
2 oz gin (vodka could also work here)
Sparkling rosé or prosecco to float
1.5 ounce mixed berry simple
0.75 ounce fresh lemon juice
Combine all ingredients except for the sparkling wine in a shaker. Add ice, shake vigorously until well combined. Strain into a glass removing the ice. Using spoon, pour approx 2-3 ounces rose over the back of the spoon into the glass to float on top of the drink. Garnish with fresh berries if feeling fancy.
She cute
I know it’s a short one of recommendations, my loves, this time around. My brain is a misty bog and I am being led down some very suspicious paths of sleepiness by a wily pookah. My bed, she calls me or that might be my baby crying?