A laugh-out-loud cartoon collection, a charming native grass, and a dahlia festival

Plus, a napkin set you could frame

The pack of coyotes that haunts the ridge behind our house is howling as I write to you; the first time I heard the distinctive, raucous noise, I mistook it for a group of teenagers partying in the distance. 😂 The sound of coyotes both creeps me out and also weirdly makes me feel less alone.

The topic of duality came up this week when my therapist observed (not for the first time!) that life is full of both good and evil; silly and sublime; life and death, full of sadness and also full of joy.

That a week can be full of assholes blowing through stop signs at the four-way intersection (ask me how I know!) and also strangers moving mountains to help you (thank you, Jason at Comcast!).

In the way that sometimes you can hear a piece of advice or a truth 99 times without really understanding it, this time, when she raised the fundamental reality of life’s duality, I had the sensation of dry soil finally absorbing water, as the truth that life is never just one thing entirely sank in deeply. While it might mean happiness arrives with sadness, it also means the opposite, too, and that felt freeing, as if I could suddenly shoulder the load more easily.

It helped that I spent most of Friday running errands with a friend; we hit two grocery stores, a French bakery that smelled like Paris, ate carrot cake for lunch in the car between errands (we each got our own enormous slice!), did all the day-before-a-birthday things for one of her kids (cards, silly gifts, buying celebratory meals ingredients and favorite foods) and just talked and talked and talked. I’m learning to stay alert for the people who are capable of this kind of no-agenda time together; they make really good friends.

A. I saw some of this northern sea oats grass in a floral arrangement this week and was smitten. I snapped up some seeds; it’s native, and now’s the time to plant them.

B. This tissue paper caught my eye; nasturtiums are one of my favorite flowers; I’ve never had great luck growing them, but I keep trying.

C. My sister and I were humor obsessives; we had every single Calvin & Hobbes, every single The Far Side collection, The Cartoons of George Booth; we had a Garfield Treasury. And it wasn’t just us who loved them; I can hear my father’s distinctive laugh now. We’d clip the best newspaper and New Yorker cartoons out and put them on the floor-to-ceiling bulletin board that dominated my childhood kitchen. To this day, I have a true appreciation of wit, of a good line, of the value of a laugh. I don’t often buy cartoon collections (although, maybe I should start!), But this afternoon, browsing at our local bookshop, snorting with laughter at Tom Gauld’s cartoons, I couldn’t resist this one.

D. Last week, I didn’t include this truly expensive Advent calendar from Dandelion Chocolates because it seemed entirely over the top - but the tab stayed open on my computer - what can I say, I have bad tab hygiene. And I guess I got charmed by it as the week wore on - by the idea of sharing a chocolate advent calendar with someone you love (or just getting two chocolates each day!). I haven’t bought it, but I’m considering it… (Tim, you’ve been warned).

E. I came across these napkins looking for something else, and while they’d make lovely napkins - I think they would look nice framed, too. You could avoid the cost of a custom frame by folding it into whatever size frame you have on hand.

F. If a DIY Advent calendar tempts you, here’s an option!

G. I have a pair of these Stella McCarthy sneakers in bright orange, and they’re getting pretty beat up. Poshmark to the rescue.

H. A Googly Eyes Advent Calendar?! Yes!

I went to a Dahlia festival! It was just the kind of niche event that I relish - like a Scottish Games, like a regatta, like a used book sale; being with people who love what you love is a joy.

We’re getting ready to enter next year’s Dahlia Fest!

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I include a few bonus finds here each week for paid subscribers as a small token of appreciation for making this newsletter possible.

A. The Days Are Getting Longer.

B. Gah! I covet these napkins. Truly OG Readers will remember this collection of celestial things I put together way back when.

C. I impulsively purchased this Harari book about the history of information (it’s THICK) after skimming it in the bookstore this afternoon. I’m not sure if this is one I’ll read in a linear way, but he puts ideas together in interesting ways - not always successfully, but always thought-provoking.

D. I saved this Squash and Chickpea Stew with Lemongrass (gift link)- can’t wait to try it this coming week.