I’m giving an author talk at the Aldrich Library in Barre, VT next Thursday and — at least according to the library’s website — I’m also playing the accordion 🪗 , which is how all the most serious and professional authors conclude their talks, look it up.

Got myself a cut-your-own flower CSA share this summer and honestly, I don’t know what took me so long.

I thought she was a goner but Emily Brontë* is, in fact, alive & well & living in my garden. * the rose, not the person

Gorgeous day up on top of Mt Ascutney

David Wagoner, from more than a half century of Julys ago

And this is my go-to for vegan chocolate cake (it is decently sweet and also decently chocolatey)

This is a highly reliable yellow cake recipe that works with either tapioca flour egg replacer or banana as an egg substitute (if people are ok with mild banana flavor).

the sheer amount of PLOT TWISTS in this weather forecast

If you’re talking about this hifi (or similar) I’m happy to report that it STILL SATISFIES

“Flood-tide below me! I see you face to face! Clouds of the west—sun there half an hour high—I see you also face to face …”

When you prepare for mushrooms, you often find no mushrooms. But when you fail to prepare for mushrooms, you find chanterelles and carry them home folded up in your skirt.

I put a lot of flowers in a lot of books, but I love finding a flower in a book that I did *not* put there and then wondering who did

Beagles love blueberries (fact). And cows love bagpipes (also fact).

I’ve spent so many summers inside, writing writing writing. I’m committed to spending this one outdoors, swimming swimming swimming. Here are four places I swam this week:

a big day in the life of my little green car

I hate that contemporary authors have to defend their choice to write books to people who have made the choice to read them, but this (from Rowan Jacobsen) is nicely put

So great to see tech corporations supporting teachers’ unions! Oh wait

Solstice light

Slept in a former convent last night and woke to the sight of this lone stained glass window, all menacing in its glowiness

4k yds by 9 a.m. 🏊‍♀️

but NOT ANYMORE. Newly released edition of Wilhelm’s brilliant 1930s novel courtesy of Boiler House Books / @neglectedbooks.com with new intro by yours truly

When I was in high school, my social studies teacher loaned me a copy of Gale Wilhelm’s WE TOO ARE DRIFTING and I never returned it because the book was out of print and I couldn’t get another copy and loved it too much to give it back.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day to be hanging out in a gorgeous setting looking like a total boss.

how it started / how it’s going (bird nest in my potted fern edition)

This rhododendron was on the brink of death 5 years ago when I moved into this house, and now it IS the house. I basically live inside a rhododendron.

love it when Gibbon is like, I only bore you because I care

For my birthday, I made myself a beautiful cake and then also found out I have arthritis in my hands. 😠

How I spent my weekend

We are on the Memorial Day parade route, and we are prepared.

But seriously, you’ll like AI a lot more after we force you to like it, just watch.