This is definitely Probably something you would like…
I don’t know this guy from Adam but I love the idea of this calendar and I want him to succeed. You know, so I can have one. It’s a pretty inexpensive project to fund- $16 to get your own calendar.
He’s only got 4 days left to get his project funded but I think we can help! If you’d like the calendar, consider funding him. You can also tweet, facebook or just otherwise help us spread the word.
UPDATE: AND IT’S FUNDED! That’s how we it, people. Y’all are awesome.
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Did you know you can adopt a bat at Carlsbad Caverns? It’s only $6.75 (per bat) and all the money goes to help protect the Carlsbad Caverns bat population. (Each bats eat up to 8000 mosquitos per night, y’all. Props to them.)
Posted onJuly 25, 2012bySusan|Comments Off on Probably something you would like… #100!!!
Can you believe that this is the 100th PSYWL? NEITHER CAN WE! But we’re celebrating with a PSYWL packed with 100 of our very favorites. Make your self a cup of tea, turn the ringer on your phone off and prepare to have your socks knocked off.
Something Susan likes…
I own both the complete sets of All Creatures Great and Small- books and the DVDs- and both are in heavy rotation around here. These charming and gentle stories never fail to raise my spirits and restore my faith in humanity. I can’t tell you how many friends I have strong-armed into reading the books or watching the series who have thanked me profusely later.
Vintage embroidered pillow cases and tea towels like these are my latest obsession. I just can’t imagine how something someone made by hand ends up in for sale on etsy or in a thrift shop. I mean, someone made them. You can find them as cheap as $5, which makes them imminently collectible, and they make wonderful housewarming gifts.
Speaking of embroidery, I am gaga over these embroidery samplers by the talented Rebecca Ringquist. I was lucky enough to take a class from Rebecca a few years ago at Squam Arts Workshop; she’s a genius!
If my house were on fire, once I made sure all the humans and animals were safe, I’d grab my Nikon. Amazingly pictures and amazingly simple to use.
But the secret to the great pictures we take at the farm is this little beauty right here. The Nikon 50mm f/1.4G SIC SW Prime Nikkor Lens. Expensive but absolutely worth every penny. This is the only lens I ever use anymore because it produces STUNNING pics. Trust me; you want this piece of glass.
Caroline knit this gorgeous Churchmouse Yarns pattern called Shoulder Cozy for my mama’s birthday present. It knits up beautifully in JMF’s Sabine.
I’ve blogged about my adoration for my Clarisonic Mia 2 and my devotion has only deepened in the intervening months. My skin has never looked and felt better. And I can definitely seen the fine lines are diminishing. My only regret is that they didn’t have this kicky orange color when I got mine.
This book by Cal Patch about designing your own clothes is a must-have for would-be garment makers.
My sister got me this Dia de Los Muertos candle last year for All Saints Day. I love the way it smells but I save it for special occasions.
It’s a camper! It’s a boat! It’s BOTH!!!
Something Zac likes…
A recent farm stay sent us a copy of Flour as a thank you gift. It turned out to be a fantastic and inspiring book that truly focuses on bakery style treats. Yum.This stainless steel pastry scrapper is not only something that goes great with the above book but it something I like on a daily basis.These fantastic Lithuanian hand woven linen table cloths.
This pickled corn would not last long around the farm
If you did not know I use to be a bicycle mechanic. I still love old and creatively designed bikes. Hetchins are fantastically beautiful bikes and you should admire more of them. If you happen to have an old dusty Hetchins in your garage let me know and I will happily come visit.
I have a feeling that watering you plants with a pig shaped watering can will surely help them grow.
Sesame seeds and milk are they perfect combination in my eyes. This sesame tulie has my mouth watering.
My dewalt table saw was a Christmas gift to myself. I love how simple it makes home building projects. Also since it is the more compact version it does not take over the the entire barn or the garage.
Love this picture showing how boards are cut out of of a log. It helps to remind us that wood comes from trees and the people who cut out the boards try their very best to get as much useable wood out of each log.
I really want to start collecting antique kitchen tools. I really like the look of this cherry seeder. Etsy has a lot of great old kitchen tools but they are usually a little too expensive. I will keep looking at our local antique shops.
Working on the farm has made me appreciate well built pants. Outlier is a company that makes clothing that is supposed to be rugged, practical, and fashionable. I want everything they make.
This book will just make you want fish for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (thankfully there are no fish desserts in this book). The River Cottage Fish Book is informative and inspirational.
I use to be very involved with hobby robotics and love the Arduino platform. It is powerfully enough to help control almost any idea you can think of like…
this great sweater that has built in turn signals for cyclist while they are biking. The great things about Arduino projects is most people publish instructions and code for free.
I also love this hand made hay rake. Plus the website shows the traditional techniques used to make them. Someday I will have all the tools and spaced needed to make my own homemade hay rake.
Something Caroline likes…
Without this gardening hat from Terrain, I would have absolutely 100% died of heat stroke this summer, plus racked up a lifetime supply of sun damage and skin cancer. I sometimes forget the sunscreen, but I never go outside without this hat. I also bought this hat (“What if I want to go outside and be fancy?”), but I never wear it (I’m afraid I just might not be that fancy). Or maybe there can only be one favorite hat.
I turn to The New Organic Grower at least once a week, and, over the course of last winter, read it cover to cover at least 4 times. An invaluable resource.
Yelena Bryksenkova has been hands-down my favorite illustrator for the past few years– Susan bought me one her prints for Christmas last year and I treasure it. I especially love the cosy interiors she’s been doing lately– I had Cat Nap above my desk for most of last winter. I just can’t get enough knitted textures (or dala horses!).
I will brook no argument. The Pilot Precise V5 is the very best pen that exists, and I never am without mine.
I bought myself this dress from Filly this past spring as a treat, and am so, so, glad that I did. I wear it about two times a week, have gotten it all stained up with blueberries, dirt, and yarn dye, and brought the linen back to white time and time again. I love that I can feel good about the clothes I wear and own. I can’t wait to see her Fall collection!
David Grene’s Of Farming and Classics changed my life when I read it as a college freshman, and I reread it at least every year. Even if you’re neither farmer nor classicist, his prose is impeccable, and the story of his life as a part-time dairy farmer, part-time Chicago academic, is truly remarkable.
This is a ridiculous confession, but did you know that I like taking care of shoes? When I was in college, I loved to keep my oxfords looking nice with a weekly application of brown leather shoe polish. I love that my hasbeens are a) Swedish, b) come in all sorts of bright colors (although I opted for natural, because that’s supposed to make you look taller), c) handmade, and d) made of leather and lime wood, which means that I can keep them polished, conditioned, and wearable for– with luck– the rest of my life. I love that idea.
I’m trying my hardest to not buy a pair of Imogenes, because I know that if I crack, I’ll be buying not one, but two pair. They’re just one of those companies I absolutely envy and admire.
Haws Watering Can is definitely something you would like, especially if you’re as much of an Anglophile as I am.
While we’re gardening, let me tell you, I could spend forever looking though the Lee Valley shop. Those secateurs!
I am definitely going to be knitting Beatnik in Sabinevery soon. We’ve got a small stash of it in the Foliage colorway that I’ve got my eye on…
You undoubtedly already know about the talented Emily Winfield Martin, but did you know that Zac and I have five imaginary kittens? The are named Poutine, Mirepoix, Camomile, Stroganoff, and Mushroom Pizza (not pictured above). You would probably like them.
The ladies at Of a Kind have the neatest business model of all time. I feel simply too cool for school whenever I buy from them– which happens so frequently that I’m embarrassed to admit it!
Y’all who sew might be way ahead of me on this one, but I love reading the Grainline blog– especially the tutorials!– and long for the day I can whip up a pair of shorts or line a jacket like it’s no problem at all.
Thanks to Amy Merrick and her wonderful blog, I have fallen hard for flowers. As much as I’ve always been wanted the vegetable, practical, and edible, now I want beautiful, blowsy, and fragrant.
In light of which, I’ve been looking through this book, to learn to put them all together,
and this one, to learn to grow them in the first place.
Speaking of which, did you know that the Modern Library– a venerable institution in itself– put out a gardening series back in 2005? I was over the moon when I found out this past spring, andorderedeverysinglebookintheseries, then read Beverley Nichols, to boot. They’re another set of books I love to read and reread.
I am way too old for teen magazines (although I know I don’t look it– kids who come for farmstays are always asking whether or not I’m a “real adult,” or, my favorite, “How is it possible that you are a grownup but look like a teenager? Are you sure you’re not a teenager?”), but I wish like crazy that Rookie had been around. I read it nearly every day, and I’m 24.
Whenever I am being an ultra-grouch (“There are crumbs on the counter and dog hair on the floor! How can I be expected to do anything when it’s all so pointless!?”), I go read Sad Girls and laugh and feel better.
Zac’s sister, Sarah, just introduced me to the etchings and woodcuts of Jacques Hnizdovsky. Their intricacy is bogglingly beautiful.
Something Charlotte likes…
This chair would make me excited to be in the waiting room for my dentist!
This project by Amanda Jane Jones, designer for the ever-coveted, Kinfolk Magazine(http://www.kinfolkmag.com/), is adorable and flat-out beautiful.
It took us about a month, but everyone in the house has seen Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom separately. Susan and I are big Wes Anderson fans, Caroline and Zac, not so much, but we all agreed that Moonrise Kingdom was a fantastic film, and this article from the New Yorker really summarizes what is so lovable about this film.
So I don’t live in Vancouver, and I don’t ever plan to, but as a city-dweller (when I’m not at the farm, that is) following these ladies’ blog is inspiring; their educational projects about gardening are transforming their area and setting a wonderful model for urban gardening in other cities.
This fabric makes me smile every time I look at it.
This is a map of the wind! Even if you’re aren’t interested in the direction of the wind, it is beautiful to just watch.
An Ode to Summer. I know summer is drawing to a close, but this video about taking in all that summer gives to you, is beautiful and stunning.
This map of the United States allows you to mark which national parks you’ve been to as you visit, plus the design is beautiful. ($95)
So. I know that this is silly and impractical, but I can’t help it. These bike planters are cool. And beautiful. ($35)
I’ve got a stack of books waiting for me back at college, but after I’m done with those, I’m so excited to use this flowchart. It asks you what you’re interested in and what you’ve read already, and shows you what you should read next!
I haven’t made any of her recipes, but the way Erin Gleeson, blogger for The Forest Feast, designs and photographs her recipes are refreshingly simple.
I know I showed up late to the party, embarrassingly late for an American Studies major, but sitting down to watch Ken Burns’ The National Parks in May (and simultaneously avoiding studying for finals) was one of the best things I did all of last semester. Totally worth all all 12 hours
Marilynne Robinson is one of my absolute favorite authors and her new book is wonderful–I’ve been reading Caroline’s copy she got for her birthday.
Growing up in North Carolina and on Barbara Cooney books, I had never really seen lupine flowers in large quantities outside of a garden, but last summer in Maine, I was blown away about how lupine flowers are everywhere. This book is a children’s classic.
If you live somewhere where it precipitates, do yourself a favor and get a pair of Bean Boots. I personally guarantee your feet to never be cold or wet again.
I Love Charts is both hilarious and informative. I read this daily for laughs and to learn a little something.
Jacuqeline Du Pre is my favorite cellist and this is every cellist’s–including mine–favorite cello concerto. It gives me chills.
E.B. White was one of my favorite author’s (You know, Charlotte’s Web…), but you can’t be a self-respecting college student carrying around The Trumpet of the Swan. But you can carry around his essays, which are stunning. When I arrived here for the summer, I reread “The Farm” section again, and was not disappointed.
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”Humane Society of Dallas County/Dog & Kitty City has partnered with KONG of Golden CO, the makers of that classic red rubber dog toy.
Kong selected six shelters throughout the U.S. and they have installed robotic toys and cameras in the shelter so people can control the toys over the internet and watch the cats play. The charitable campaign is designed to raise awareness about shelter cats and hopefully boost cat adoptions.
You can access the virtual play system and remotely control robotic toys for the cats to play with and can view the action via streaming webcams.”
The most inspiring cookbook I’ve seen all year. SprinkleBakes is packed with recipes for original, desserts that are positively jaw-dropping. I am completely in awe. If you only buy one cookbook this decade, it should be this one. (via Notmartha)
I adore Jeeves & Wooster and I just happened to through the boxed set in my bag on my way out the door when I was leaving for the airport. I’m so glad that I did! Woodhouse’s writing, Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry…what’s not to like?
I had one of the top ten meals of my life last night at a restaurant in Salt Lake City called Finca. We order five or six small plates to share and each one was more delicious than the next. If you’re ever in SLC you should definitely go, but this restaurant is worth a special trip. For reals.
All of the kind and thoughtful comments you all left on yesterday’s post. I read every single one of them more than once, and I found them greatly comforting. Thank you.
These are the things that are getting me through the week. What’s keeping you going?
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Posted onJuly 13, 2012bySusan|Comments Off on Probably something you would like…
Isn’t this poster exactly perfect?
This is one of my very favorite quotes from one of my very favorite poets. Have you read any Mary Oliver? Her poetry is so full of passion and alive-ness and truth. She never fails to light a fire under me, inspire me or give me a kick in the rear when I need it.
Today, I thought I would share with you a few of the Mary Oliver lines, the ones that I return to again and again. I hope they are as meaningful and powerful for you as they have been for me.
“Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” from Sometimes.
”I believe in kindness. Also in mischief. Also in singing, especially when singing is not necessarily prescribed.” from Evidence.
”You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” from Wild Geese.
“Still, what I want in my life is to be willing to be dazzled—to cast aside the weight of facts and maybe even to float a little above this difficult world.” from The Ponds.
“Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable.” from Evidence.
“I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.” from When Death Comes.
“You want to cry aloud for your mistakes. But to tell the truth the world doesn’t need any more of that sound.” from The Poet With His Face in His Hands.
That last one nearly does me in every time I read it. It such a poignant reminder not to be so hard on myself. If you’d like to read more of Mary Oliver, I recommend starting with New and Selected Poems, Volume One & Vol. 2.
Do you have any words of wisdom the that you return to again and again? I’d love to read them.
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“Tyneham is a ghost village in south Dorset, England. The village was temporarily commandeered just before Christmas 1943 by the War Office for use as firing ranges for training troops. 252 people were displaced, the last person leaving a notice on the church door:
“Please treat the church and houses with care; we have given up our homes where many of us lived for generations to help win the war to keep men free. We shall return one day and thank you for treating the village kindly.”
In 1948 the village was compulsorily purchased by the War Office and the villagers never returned.”
- and both are in heavy rotation around here. These charming and gentle stories never fail to raise my spirits and restore my faith in humanity. I can’t tell you how many friends I have strong-armed into reading the books or watching the series who have thanked me profusely later.
.
is one of my favorites. I may or may not be in love with the title character.
. Amazingly pictures and amazingly simple to use.
. Expensive but absolutely worth every penny. This is the only lens I ever use anymore because it produces STUNNING pics. Trust me; you want this piece of glass.
and my devotion has only deepened in the intervening months. My skin has never looked and felt better. And I can definitely seen the fine lines are diminishing. My only regret is that they didn’t have this kicky orange color when I got mine.
from Philosophy. I use them two or three times a week.
about designing your own clothes is a must-have for would-be garment makers.
My sister got me this 
last year for All Saints Day. I love the way it smells but I save it for special occasions.
These fantastic 
was a Christmas gift to myself. I love how simple it makes home building projects. Also since it is the more compact version it does not take over the the entire barn or the garage.
is informative and inspirational.
at least once a week, and, over the course of last winter, read it cover to cover at least 4 times. An invaluable resource.
is the very best pen that exists, and I never am without mine.
changed my life when I read it as a college freshman, and I reread it at least every year. Even if you’re neither farmer nor classicist, his prose is impeccable, and the story of his life as a part-time dairy farmer, part-time Chicago academic, is truly remarkable.
are a) Swedish, b) come in all sorts of bright colors (although I opted for natural, because that’s supposed to make you look taller), c) handmade, and d) made of leather and lime wood, which means that I can keep them polished, conditioned, and wearable for– with luck– the rest of my life. I love that idea.
is an utterly charming didactic classic, and I might or might not have adopted 
is definitely something you would like, especially if you’re as much of an Anglophile as I am.
, to learn to put them all together,
, to learn to grow them in the first place.
in May (and simultaneously avoiding studying for finals) was one of the best things I did all of last semester. Totally worth all all 12 hours
is wonderful–I’ve been reading Caroline’s copy she got for her birthday.
and I will make every single project in it, mark my words.
.
If you live somewhere where it precipitates, do yourself a favor and
was a childhood favorite of both Caroline and myself. Our copy even had a furry hardcover!
, which are stunning. When I arrived here for the summer, I reread “The Farm” section again, and was not disappointed.
is packed with recipes for original, desserts that are positively jaw-dropping. I am completely in awe. If you only buy one cookbook this decade, it should be this one. (via 
and I just happened to through the boxed set in my bag on my way out the door when I was leaving for the airport. I’m so glad that I did! Woodhouse’s writing, Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry…what’s not to like?
& 
.
