A low-tech carpet sweeper, a great dress, and a summer must-have: mosquito dunks

Plus, a replacement for Peanut Butter Twix bars, at long last!

I'm writing in my favorite chair, the one I had slipcovered in denim, which has, over the years, worn to a perfect softness. Six months ago, I sat in this chair and wrote my first newsletter to you: there was snow on the ground then, and summer felt very far away. Now, the light outside is soft and luminous despite the low grey clouds; the wheel of the seasons continues to turn. Given all the hard news in the world this week, that fact is one small thing that has steadied me in the chaos. 

No Daily Dose of Green or subscriber-only links this week. I developed a large bullseye rash on Monday - it’s been a very bad tick season so far - and I'm currently on doxycycline and prednisone. It's never a dull moment around here, but I’m on the mend and I remain, as ever, so grateful for modern medicine.