I cataloged alllllllll my clothing and accessories on the Indyx app back in January. I found the process of going through and photographing all my clothes so eye-opening (if I didn't even want to take a picture of it, it's unlikely I will ever want to wear it) and I realized I have so much I love already in my closet. (136 items including shoes, swimsuits, bags and jewelry you're curious.) For the past six months I have used it to help me pack for trips but June was the month I got serious about using it daily and tracking what I wear. It even made me excited to build a “summer capsule” of about 30 pieces and I am enjoying getting dressed and playing with just those items.

After pinning to a “pretty desserts” board for over a decade, maybe 2025 is the year I actually get making some of my own. I have had the Eat Your Flowers cookbook for awhile and to be honest I have not cooked a single thing from it, but it's visually stunning. My favorite part is the glossary at the front which shares all the edible types of flowers and how they all taste. Piper and I made a carrot cake early this month and topped with our homegrown calendula and pansies. We felt quite fancy eating it and I am inspired to bake more.

I had been looking forward to this month's release from TJR and got lucky on my library libby app to get the audiobook on launch day. It was great on audio and a fun read. Reid has a way of telling a love story and dropping big life truths in along the way (I LOVED the contrast of how Joan looked at the Earth from space vs. how her male counterpart saw it). Would be a good book club pick.

Last year I kept a list of everything I bought for myself (except consumable items). It was eye-opening. This year, I wanted to track my purchases again but decided to take it one step further (I am, who I am) and watercolor paint every item I am bringing home. Six months in and it's going… pretty well! I have found that my impulse purchases have dropped ("Do I really want to paint another scented candle?") and I am enjoying the painting part! (This is the sketchbook I am using.)

I know I don't talk about this a lot, so it's possible you missed it but I am really into flowers right now. Naturally a book about “the unseen world of plant intelligence” jumped quickly to the top of my TBR pile. It's a real science book that reads like fascinating science-fiction. I am about two-thirds through and am already thinking differently about my garden (are my tomatoes talking to each other?!) but also (of course) about life. Plants are magic.

I was at my local yarn store this month getting yarn for my third top in five weeks and I said to the owner “I'm sure I will be back soon, you know how it is.” She nodded. “My hobbies come and go.” I acknowledged. “Of course they do!” she responded “That's why we need so many of them.” Yes, yes, yes! There's a season for everything and our hobbies are so patient.

This is my second year growing cut flowers and wow do I love being a sophomore. I learned a lot last year about what flowers I like to grow. Yes to zinnias with double rows of petals, yes to single-stem sunflowers, yes to way more dahlias, yes to strawflowers for drying. No to cosmos (short vase life, hard to stay on top of dead-heading), no to asters (took forever to bloom and had short stems), no to most white flowers (they attract more bugs than bees). I also learned that I can really pack my plants in (less empty dirt to weed, less water waste with my drip irrigation, plus more blooms!). But mostly, what I learned last summer is the more I cut, the more I grow. It feels like my third year of blogging when I finally realized I didn't have to “hoard” my good post ideas. I could just post! As long I was writing, the ideas would always keep coming. As long as I am cutting, the plants can't go to seed and will keep producing blooms.

Thank you for your excitement about the Postcards from the Art House series! I have been dreaming (and spread-sheeting) a lot about what might be next for this newsletter and your enthusiasm for a new series is inspiring. Please stay tuned and in the meantime – here is a three minute tour of the garden and Art House that I recorded on the longest day of the year.