A breakfast sandwich hack, a sexy green lacquer coffee table and a fantastic moisturizer from Costco

plus reading all about ancient 'woodhenges' that tracked the seasons

I'm writing this while Ben takes a squash lesson. The sound of balls being hit echoes over the sound of people coming and going, chatting and catching up; there's a tiny baby in a stroller, a just barely walking toddler, and a passel of teenagers. I love these kinds of spaces and sounds. Five years after COVID, I still feel so grateful for this kind of low-stakes social interaction.

Reading Notes

This week I enjoyed this article that describes Cahokia, an ancient settlement along the Mississippi River in Southern Illinois that became the largest pre-Columbian city in North America - housing up to 40,000 people across nearly 4,000 acres! The Mississippians constructed these massive earthen mounds by hand, carrying soil and clay in baskets to create structures that served as platforms for temples, political buildings, and burial sites. The most impressive structure, Monks Mound, contains over 25 million cubic feet of soil, rises 100 feet high, and covers 14 acres. The Cahokia complex also…