How are you feeling today? Oh my gosh, what to say? I hope you’re hanging in there, after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Sending a hug to anyone who needs one, and please consider joining us in donating to abortion funds. Take gentle care of yourselves this weekend, and if you’re in a blog-reading mood, here are a few links from around the web…
Going to watch this movie tonight.
Every year, an article comes out about how anticipation is the best part of vacations. And every year I read and love it. (NYTimes)
Cool quiche, of all things.
A journalist raised in the anti-abortion Christian right talks about how she and her sisters became pro-choice. “Anti-abortion rhetoric only works if you don’t know that your sister has a medical condition that could mean death if she gets pregnant. Anti-abortion rhetoric only works if you’ve never seen your friend recover from a violent beating at the hands of her boyfriend. Never worked at a women’s shelter and seen the wives of pastors come in sobbing, secretly on birth control, because they cannot afford to have another child. So, how did I, the indoctrinated daughter of the American conservative right, grow up to champion the very cause I had been told was evil? Simple: I lived life as an American woman.” (Financial Times)
These shoes are eeeevvveeerrryyyywhere in NYC.
What it’s like to create a portrait of Queen Elizabeth. “We shot it, I had it in the can, and after the Queen left, I lay down on the floor and just thought, ‘Hallelujah.’ And then one of her aides walked in – I was still on the floor, I had to jump up and brush myself off.”
Also, I don’t have strong opinions about the Royals, but I’m into the new Will and Kate portrait. (The artist’s work is cool.)
Want to learn something quickly? Read children’s books, says a Jeopardy champ.
This hand soap smells like Le Labo, but it’s $7.
Forever inspired by Katie Sturino’s supersized looks.
Most important: Need an abortion? Find a safe provider here, or get safe, effective abortion pills sent by mail from a telehealth provider. If you need money, transportation, or other help, you can get support from abortion funds (their full site is currently down but will be back up soon). NYMag is a good resource, too.
Plus, seven reader comments because they bring me joy:
Says Midge on a very low-key summer checklist: “I read this post while grouchily waiting in the lobby for a mammogram — and got inspired. So, after my appointment, I went and bought rosé to drink on the deck with friends, a pot of basil for caprese salads, and an ice-cream cone for dinner. Tomorrow after work I’m going to put on a slip and reread Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood while eating peanuts. I am ON BOARD for low-key summer.”
Says Robin on a very low-key summer checklist: “On unhurried dog walks, I become the side character to my dog, Trout. He decides which route to take, checking out every squirrel, wading in every bit of water, sniffing every trail and deciding for himself whether to follow it. He leads me in circles a lot. After about an hour he wants to go home. Perfect dog walk.”
Says Tee on a very low-key summer checklist: “I find it very adorable that ‘low-key’ and ‘checklist’ are in the same sentence. It sounds like something I would write/say: ‘We will now have some well-planned fun, dangit!’ *check*”
Says Ruth on a very low-key summer checklist: “We just learned we are supporting my mom as she navigates her last act. We don’t yet have a timeline, but she has received a terminal diagnosis. It’s a tricky balance, to be entering summer and wanting to embrace all the goodness of the season, and also to be ‘living on Planet My Mom Is Dying,’ to adapt words from Cheryl Strayed. We haven’t had the easiest relationship, but I love her. My husband has already navigated losing a parent, and that is a big help. He helps me see that it sucks and is sad, and also that I am not dying, nor am I being fully taken out by a tidal wave. I still have my life, my job, my marriage, our beautiful house, our perfect grumpy dog. This post is helpful, remembering all the life I can take in even while navigating this big life event/change/sadness, and being extra gentle with myself if summer 2022 doesn’t look much like summer, except for a lot of ice cream, maybe.”
Says Madz on a very low-key summer checklist: “My plans:
1. Have the baby.
2. Pick the baby’s name (Atticus or Harvey?)”
Says Jessica on a very low-key summer checklist: “For your consideration: a humble can of Coke, poured over ice, served with a lemon wedge. Or, an icy cold gin and tonic while a thunderstorm rolls in.”
Says Amanda on a very low-key summer checklist: “This summer, I want to sit around and make collages with a glue stick and old magazines. I loved doing that as a kid during long afternoons, and now I’m like, yeah, that sounds like a good idea again.”
(Photo by Eldad Carin/Stocksy.)