“Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June.” — Al Bernstein
READING:
Books:
Camera Girl: The Coming of Age of Jackie Bouvier Kennedy by Carl Sferrazza Anthony — “An illuminating new biography of the young Jackie Bouvier Kennedy that covers her formative adventures abroad in Paris; her life as a writer and photographer at a Washington, DC, newspaper; and her romance with a dashing, charismatic Massachusetts congressman who shared her intellectual passion…Set primarily during the years of 1949 to 1953, when Jackie was in her early twenties, the book recounts in heretofore unrevealed detail the story of her late college years and her early adulthood as a working woman” (Goodreads).
Links:
Inside '70s Teen Idol Shaun Cassidy's Return to Performing: 'Something I Never Thought I'd Do Again' (People Exclusive) — I was so excited to see Shaun last summer and would go again in a heartbeat.
A Foodie’s Guide to Door County via Milwaukee Magazine — So many of my favorite restaurants and several that I haven’t tried
10 Facts About Le Petit Prince — I love this book.
A Barman Who Served Kate Moss and ‘All the James Bonds’ Leaves the Ritz — Colin Field was an integral part of the Bar Hemingway experience. He will be missed.
George Winston, the Quiet Giant of Solo Piano Music, Dead at 73 — George Winston’s piano music has been such an important addition of the soundtrack of my life. I first discovered it as a student at Marquette. I played Autumn and December over and over while studying or relaxing. How fitting that my old friend, George, told me of George Winston’s passing. Even, now almost thirty years later, I listen to all of the seasonal albums (Autumn, December, Winter into Spring) and of course, Linus and Lucy. I also included two of George Winston’s pieces in my Desert Island Discs.
WATCHING:
Shrinking on Apple TV — “A grieving therapist starts to tell his clients exactly what he thinks. Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge changes to people's lives - including his own” (IMDb). Starring Harrison Ford and created by Brett Goldstein (aka Roy Kent), this show lives up to its pedigree.
And Just Like That Season 2 on Max — Meh.
LISTENING TO:
Pop Culture Preservation Society Podcast — “A podcast dedicated to preserving and elevating the unsung pop culture nuggets of the classic Gen X childhood.” So many of my favorites: Happy Days, Schoolhouse Rock, Pretty in Pink, John Denver, Olivia Newton-John, and of course, Shaun Cassidy.
June Instapuzzle Mini-Playlist:
Le temps est bon (Bon Entendeur vs. Isabelle Pierre)
Bonjour, bonjour, bonjour (Méli mômes)
Theme from A Summer Place (Percy Faith)
Fly Away (John Denver with Olivia Newton-John)
Good Day Sunshine (The Beatles)
Morning Has Broken (Cat Stevens)
La Mer (Charles Trenet)
Dancing Queen (ABBA)
ENJOYING: A slower pace — School’s out, and although I do have to go in throughout the summer, especially toward the end of July and August, it has been nice to disconnect these past couple of weeks. It’s so pleasant to linger over coffee in the morning, to have a perpetually clean house since I have time to keep it that way, and to spend time reading, listening to podcasts and music, taking pictures, and of course, snuggling with Piper.
PLANNING: Backyard clean-up and renovation — On the last day of school, we had two huge trees taken down, one of which was split and hanging over our house and deck. For the past two weeks, Eric has been cutting and moving the wood. The stumps have been ground and I have been soliciting quotes to have the backyard regraded and reseeded. We do have more sunlight near the house now so we might actually be able to grow a lawn. We still have a lot of trees and shade near the back of the yard, but the brightness near the house is nice. We might even get to see stars some night when the skies clear after the Canadian wildfires. We have noticed that without the tree canopy, it gets too hot on the deck midday, so I also bought a big cantilevered umbrella. I’ll post pictures when we are done.
