Monthly Musings; May
A collection of offline inspirations, a quick update on the new home, and musings as of late (books, food, music, plants, etc).
This month is a tad shorter as I’ve been in the process of moving (exciting!) so most of my musings have been inside a moving box, alas I still have a few fun things to share.
What’s on the menu?
Found Offline — a list of things that have caught my eye, been inspiring, and/or have made me stop to think about x y or z. These finds, true to the chapter’s name, didn’t take place on the internet. Sharing them with you as I think you might enjoy them too. A mini Home Update — a brief introduction to the new spot! And Musings as of Late — an assortment of books, music, food, etc that have been mini joys (or all consuming) that you might relate to as well (would love to know your Musings in the comments if you feel called to share); delivered to you in a “speed round” format. Enjoy!
I’ve been trying to look offline more and more for inspiration and education. Sometimes it’s lovely to dive deep down a rabbit hole on Substack or Pinterest, however sometimes I find that the classics (magazines, a coffee table book, objects around you, a walk in the park) will truly hold the biggest spark of inspiration, thought, memory, or joy.
Tickets: While cleaning out my dads place I found a bunch of his old tickets from the 80’s. So many memories held in these. While looking through the collection it made me pause and wonder just when the the art of a physical ticket go out the window? As a kid and teen and even in my twenties I remember getting real tickets for movies, fairs, concerts, etc so it must have been just within the last few years.
Just the other day I went to the movies and my ticket was a QR code on the bottom of the receipt! While efficient, I fear we may have lost the art of tickets… these small things might seem trivial, but they add up; they make life beautiful and interesting where you wouldn’t expect it.
Coffee and people watching: A practice as old as time, having a drink and watching life around you, but something that is rarely done (at least for me). When dining out (or grabbing a coffee, wine, etc) I often find comfort in bringing a book or notebook to keep me company. Lately though I’ve tried to just be present while enjoying my time at a cafe, if not for the whole sitting at least for a chunk of it. Taking 10 minutes to just be and listen to music, watch passersby, and really taste the thing your drinking/eating is such a nice practice to enjoy the present moment.
Shells: Beach combing has been a meditative practice for me since I was a wee one (although I didn’t know it was a state of meditation until my 20s, it was just something we always did). And while I hate to admit it, I haven’t been to the beach in quite a while which is embarrassing as I’ve lived close to the ocean for the last few months (life, sigh). I have collected a pretty sizable array of shells over the last 31 years of life though and I have found such inspiration in them while unpacking and finding new homes for them in my new
The update we’ve all been waiting for (mostly me) is finally here! I’ve signed a lease and have already started moving in! The relief and excitement that I feel is overwhelming.
The apartment I love, so I signed the lease
Working in an inspiring space is a very in-flow way for me to stretch my mind; and sharing it with people who are also giddy over homes (whether its your own or you’re cheering on someone else with theirs from afar) and appreciate the process (and result) of creating one is a superb bonus.
Below is my not-to-scale version figuring out a space, usually done within my head, but this is sort of a peek into the inside of my brain. Lots of my attention has been going into the new place and it’s been fun to dream up how I’m going to lay everything out… I also have to purchase: a couch, chairs, bookshelves, coffee table, and a few other things for the living room, so I’m semi starting from scratch with that room which is a very fun thing to look forward to.
It might take a bit of time (mindfully and with intention is my preferred way of furnishing a space), so unlike most things these days, this will not be an instant gratification update (IMO, we need more of this). That said, I’ve made good progress in a week! Already picked up a few things from antique shops that felt right for the space and I have a couch on the way next week. If you care to join along on the journey I will be making a Home Update series sharing home projects, furnishing details, inspiration, and other home and garden related updates.
A couple of the plants I shared about last month (strawberries, hollyhocks, poppies, and sweet pea seeds) have been sprouting so nicely! The strawberries have taken root and are steady, but when they provide fruit they are TINY. Really tasty, but so small. The hollyhocks are doing well and sprouted so fast! Excited to see these bloom. The poppies sadly aren’t doing well. They sprouted and then sort of disappeared. I’m not sure if something ate them or if they just got washed away when watering them… Win some lose some. I’ll be moving these into the new spot next week so I’m curious to see how they thrive there.
Since then I’ve also planted some basil seeds which are just now sprouting, potted a mint bush, added in some more Bacopa to my rose bush pot, picked up a few geranium plants (one potted, a few to be planted outside), and some lavender for the front yard.
I fell in love with this type of mint bush (Prostanthera Ovalifolia Variegata, say that three times fast) when I saw one in Petaluma when I was first considering living there. So when I saw it at the nursery a few weeks later I immediately picked it up no questions asked ($15, so reasonable IMO). About a week later I ended up finding my home and signing a lease, I think this little mint bush has a bit of luck in it. It now sits outside my front door welcoming me home and I like to think of it as a good omen to this space.
These are the geranium and lavender that I bought for the garden. I was going to plant them immediately, but my landlord has informed me that they’re painting my home soon (it’s gonna look great), so I’m going to hold off until thats done. In order to give them some growing room though I’ll likely just transplant them into pots for the time being (I already planted one geranium into a pot and actually love it in my living room so that might be where that one lives now).
You know when you listen to a podcast and they have a speed round of answers to questions at the end? This is going to be like that, except actually speedy.
Listening to: A lot of Sierra Ferrell, Dolly Parton radio station, and the Expanded podcast.
Eating a lot of: Packaged Indian food lol
Drinking: I have been on a whole water journey lately (more here), but until I get that sorted out I’ve been filling up jugs of reverse osmosis remineralized water at the local market. Also been drinking (glass) bottled San Pellegrino’s which is not something I commonly do but I really have been enjoying, makes me feel so fancy.
Worrying about: Aside from the obvious (the world), I’ve been stresssssin about my closet situation at my new spot (seems trivial when placed in the same sentence as world worries). It’s a little chaotic (will write more about this in Ch1 of The Home Update), and I know its just a closet, but daily practices like getting dressed in the morning when done in chaos make my brain so tired. What can I say, I like things to have a place and when they don’t have a place I get a bit antsy.
Eyeing: Various bookshelves for my home. I’ve gone the antique/thrift route for most of my living room purchases (more to be shared in The Home Update), and am considering going new for these, especially since I might need a couple of them. Anyone have the Billy Bookshelf from IKEA? Love it? Hate it? Please share.
Strengthening: Sharing a couple favorite movement YouTube’s from the last month:
Reading: Just starting in on The Four Winds by Kristen Hannah. I’ve been craving a good read, but staying away from KH because her books always make me cry, but I can usually depend on her writing to suck me into a book and I’ve been in a bit of a slump, so here we go… fingers crossed!
Watching: Rosemary & Thyme (early 2000s gardening detectives set in the english countryside, what more could you possibly ask for).
Trying: Essential oil diffusers (not my first time using oils, but lost this practice over the last year and am getting back into it while unpacking, I use one from Bursera).
Would love to hear if you connect with any of these (or enjoyed any of the ideas, recommendations, links, etc) and if you feel called to, please share any of your own musings in a comment:
That concludes this months musings. I hope to see you at the next one, or earlier if you read other articles from The Nest. Please do feel encouraged to leave a comment with any questions or ideas that were sparked with this read. And if you write a similar article feel free to leave it in the comments, would love to read yours.
Thanks for the fun, and…
As a disclaimer, this post included an affiliate link. If you choose to purchase via my link I receive a small commission at no cost to you. It’s simply the brands way of thanking me for recommending them. I do not share links to items I don’t truly love.
Love following along! Yes to taking it slowww on furnishing- negative space is so lovely 💕
I also love your front porch—those rocks!! 😍 And as a Canadian, so cool to see that vintage Expo ticket…