A chill in the air on a late May morning, a baby deer who did not get the memo, and a memoir about moving to southern France and getting it completely wrong at first
And just like that, it is June.
Some months crawl. Some months vanish. May tends to do both at once, all long slow evenings and somehow gone before you have finished enjoying them. But this one arrived with a gift. Yesterday morning I opened the front door as I do every morning, to greet the day and let the dawn chorus in, and I was met with a chill. An actual chill. On a late May morning in North Carolina, no humidity, cool air just standing there waiting for me. I flung the door open and stood there for a good long while, taking it all in. I could not have been happier unless there had been snow falling.
It is the small things. I have always believed that and I believe it more now than ever. The cool air, the birds splashing around in the bath, the particular light of the morning. It had me smiling before I had even made my drinking chocolate.
Then on my walk I saw the baby deer. This little one could not have been more than a week old. Could barely walk. No sign of mom anywhere, though I know she was close. The fawn clearly had not received the message, which is stay put and stay hidden. This one was standing right at the edge of the road, directly under a tree, looking at me with the confidence of a creature who has never had a reason to be afraid of anything. I could have reached out and touched it. I wanted to scoop it up and bring it home. My only rule would be no munching on the circle. Everything else, including the formerly prized hydrangea, would be negotiable.
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What I’m Reading
This week I finished A Season for That by Steve Hoffman and I found myself nodding and laughing the whole way through.
Hoffman is a middle-aged Minnesotan who has been desperately in love with France his entire life. More specifically with the idea of France. So he and his family move, to a small rural village in the south called Autignac, and he immediately thinks he has made a terrible mistake. The life he imagined, the cigarette held chest-high on the way to the cafe, the elegant city French, the Parisian effortlessness, none of it survives contact with actual Autignac. The locals can smell a pretentious American from a mile away, and they are not impressed.
What saves him is cooking and wine. Not as a tourist but as a grape picker and winemaker’s apprentice, as someone who finally stops performing France and starts actually being in it. It is warm and funny and honest, and if you have ever loved a place more for the idea of it than the reality, you will love this book. I loved it.
Looking for more books? Everything I have recommended can be found on My Bookshop. Most are also available from Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and on Libby from your local library.
What I Watched
This week on House and Garden designer Harriet Anstruther opens her West Sussex farmhouse and it is exactly the kind of home I could look at for hours. The exterior is a beautiful jumble of additions, all set against the chalk hills. Inside, it is an eclectic collection of cherished pieces layered floor to ceiling. She says she wants it soothing, exciting and slightly odd, and everything resonates with something. That is the only kind of home that you should want for yourself, collected and filled with memories.
Outfit of the Day
White in the summer is crisp and cool, but sometimes you want a pop of color. This week I added a red sweater that you can wear all year long. I paired it with white pants, a classic white t-shirt and a pair of strappy sandals. Then I added a wicker tote with madras plaid scarf handle.
Click Below for Outfit Pieces
If you missed it, I joined Kim and Juliet for Weekend Meanderings on Saturday — come say hello and stay a while. We all had lots to share.
Tell me: what small thing made you smile this week? And has anyone else stood in their doorway just to feel the cool air? Leave a note in the comments.
Have a beautiful week, friends.
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Weekend Meanderings No. 112 | The Deer Won Again
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Friday Favorites No. 688 | Greek Salad, Garden Books, and a Few Good Things
On My Radar
Two weeks from today ~ we move to a new house ~ with a back yard that is just peaceful with no homes in front of us. I dream of opening our patio door and experiencing the same feeling as you described . I don’t want to wish my days away but June 15 cannot come soon enough
Patti, Congratulations on your new home! How exciting to have a new space to experience. I am sure the next two weeks will fly by with packing, moving, closing etc. June 15th will be here before you know it.
A little nugget of advice. Pack a separate box, maybe even take this in your car with you to the new house. Put your coffee mugs, coffee pot, tea pot, a few snacks, sugar, etc, whatever you enjoy, maybe a bottle of champagne for the evening. That way, when the house is chaos, the first day no matter what, you can make your favorite drink, sit down, even if it is on a box, open the doors and enjoy the new garden, the birdsong, etc!
Have a lovely day and thank you for sharing!
My husband called me to the window the other day. Our 2 resident deer were on the front lawn looking so beautiful. We stood and watched them until they gracefully ran into the woods. At the same time a sweet bunny scurried across behind them. Then yesterday I was walking along the side of our house checking out the roses. I saw a bright yellow and black butterfly, I think it was a swallowtail, getting drunk on the nectar of a chive flower. I could have reached out and picked him up. I don’t think he even knew I was there. A few minutes late a bright yellow bird, maybe a warbler? landed on the rose bush a few feet from me. I felt so blessed to be there and enjoy such beauty! I love June!