Happy List: #398
Hello, hello! This is the last Happy List of July. Can you believe how fast summer is flying by?
It was Stairway to Heaven the Carriage House week on the blog. The blog is a snapshot in time of our lives, and this week we have been consumed with the building of stairs. You can catch up on Part 1 and Part 2 if you missed it. I’m crossing my fingers I will have the reveal ready for you on Monday!
I’m so glad you are here. I hope the Happy List is a bright spot if your day and leaves you feeling inspired and encouraged! I absolutely enjoy connecting with you. It’s not a bother. If you want to reach out, please comment on this blog post or email me here. You can also reach out on Instagram or Facebook.
Now, here’s is the List o’ Happy!
HERE’S YOUR SIGN
Here’s your sign, if you don’t have deep windowsills, to install a long plant shelf along the bottom of your windows. Paint it the same color as your window trim and it will look like it was always meant to be there.
More photos of this home and room can be found at The Nordroom.
(image: via The Nordroom)
P.S. Please note that geraniums can grow quite large indoors. Ask me how I know.
COOLEST JOB EVER
Drew Tetz has the coolest job ever. He makes animated vinyl records. It’s a form of phenakistoscope where an illusion of a moving picture is created when a flicker blurs the rotation of the art. It’s super cool to observe!
You can see more examples of his work in motion at Core77 or in the below You Tube video. If the video doesn’t load, you can watch it on Tetz’ website.
PBS
For readers in the U.S., I thought you might like this t-shirt from Harebrained Design in Chicago. $8 of each sale goes to PBS. There’s a NPR version too.
Better yet or in addition to, you can donate directly to PBS here. My kids grew up on PBS Kids. We are big fans of Sesame Street and the Wild Kratts.
(image: Harebrained Design)
PARDON ME! I DIDN’T SEE YOU THERE.
Did you know that honeybees make a little “whoop” sound when they bump into each other? Scientists think it happens when they are startled. I can relate to that.
It is inaudible to the human ear, but you can listen to the sound in this YouTube video.
(image: Wikimedia Commons)
I also learned this week that there are hornet hunters. People get paid to catch hornets and wasp nests, and send them to a lab to make treatment for allergic reactions. God bless them. I could never.
ROUND RUG
I’m almost embarrassed to tell you how fast I decided I needed a round rug after looking at this photo in Frederic Magazine. But we’re past that point in our relationship, so I’ll admit I didn’t even finish reading the article before I was Googling my options.
When inspiration strikes, you must follow quickly.
(image: Max Kim-Bee for Frederic Magazine)
P.S. It’s possible I was inspired by the color green this week. This photo is from the home of Susan Crater, the granddaughter of Sister Parish and the current head of Sister Parish Design. Source for the wallpaper is in the article.
DON’T FORGET TO FLOSS
If you have ever shredded a piece of floss, or worse, got a tiny piece of floss stuck between your teeth, you’ll know how frustrating it is. Two weeks ago, we switched to Reach Ultraclean floss and neither of us has shredded a piece since. Yes, we floss daily, and see the dentist twice a year.
It’s unlike any floss I’ve used. It’s slightly stretchy, and it doesn’t have any long fibrous strands. It also doesn’t have PFAs, the forever chemicals. Some dental floss uses that to make the floss glide better.
We’re only 2 weeks into this experiment, but so far so good. I went ahead and purchased the 6-pack, and we have ditched all the other brands we had in the drawer. Don’t fail me now, floss!
(image: Amazon)
PEANUT CHICKEN KABOBS
Now that we’ve covered teeth cleaning, let’s jump to eating!
I’m trying this recipe for Peanut Chicken Kabobs from Damn Delicious this week. I’ll probably ditch the kabob part and just cook the meat in a cast iron pan though.
Here’s a tidbit you don’t know about us. We don’t grill very often. I have my reasons.
(image: Damn Delicious)
POETRY MOMENT
A Defense of Joy by Mario Benedetti, translated by Maria Popova
Defend joy like a trench
defend it from scandal and routine
from misery and misers
from truancies passing
and permanent
defend joy as a principle
defend it from bewilderments and bad dreams
from the neutral and the neutron
from sweet infamies
and grave diagnoses
defend joy like a flag
defend it from lightning and melancholy
from the fools and the frauds
from rhetoric and ruptures of the heart
from the endemic and the academic
defend joy as a destiny
defend it from fire and firefighters
from suicides and homicides
from vacations and ruts
from the obligation to be joyful
defend joy as a certainty
defend it from rust and smut
from the famous patina of time
from dew and exploitation
by the pimps of laughter
defend joy as a right
defend it from God and winter
from uppercase and the casket
from surnames and the pity
of chance
and of joy too.
Thank you for reading today’s Happy List.
Be good to yourself and others this weekend.
I’ll see you back here on Monday.
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