Things I'm Loving (v. 26)
Cozy rituals and curry comfort. From spice to serviceberries, Dick Van Dyke to Coldplay, and lots along the way.
Happy June, y’all!
By the time you read this, I’ll have just turned 42 (iykyk).
Without further ado, let’s dive in.
Something to read
On a whim I ordered Robin Wall Kimmerer’s latest book, The Serviceberry, a couple months back. For weeks, it became my morning companion while I drank my espresso. Both, the type of experience you savor.
We need more serviceberry in our lives — the sort of communal giving and support (reciprocity) she talks about as she explores the plant and her relationship with it. The book features beautiful illustrations that reminded me of old school plant drawings from field guides.
Here’s an excerpt I loved:
Something to make
My local Costco sells a VERY LARGE box of goat chunks; and although I didn’t purchase it immediately, I finally did!
After breaking down the box into smaller bagged portions, I made this goat curry recipe. As someone who loves Indian food, I’m always on the lookout for great recipes that taste like Indian food you’d get at a restaurant or at someone’s house (psst: did you know that there are LOTS of different types of Indian cuisines, not just what we get in restaurants here in the US).
This recipe really nailed the spice profile in a perfect way. Feel free to add or subtract heat per your taste preferences.
Here are some pics of my cooking process + my final taste.
Toasting the spices is a multi-step process 🙃. Here’s the first step!
Adding the goat cubes.
It’s pretty liquidy here - at this point the goat is cooking and I’m waiting for some of the liquid to boil away.
The liquid has simmered away and this was my final product before divvying up into freezer containers and eating it. 😊
Success!! Tastes + smells AHH-Mazing.
Something to watch
Dick Van Dyke. There’s not much more to say.
I love Coldplay’s music — especially their earlier stuff — and I love Dick Van Dyke.
Watching the joy and delight in Van Dyke’s face, was so much fun. It’s rare to see folks this old (can you believe he’s a 99 year old man in this?) celebrated, and I’ll always highlight this type of thing when I see it. We need more like this.
The retrospective of Van Dyke throughout his career is also a delight; and he can still sing—kinda.
Something to protect your health
I first learned about Flo Masks from my youngest brother. Although it’s not “cool” to talk about masks anymore, I think it’s super important to keep using them, especially in large outdoor gatherings and in the day to day errands and/or travel.
What I love about the Flo Mask is that it doesn’t feel like you’re wearing a mask, really. There’s a giant gap (intentional + sealed) around your mouth area and this is wildly different from how the paper / one use masks are.
Another fun thing about the Flo Mask is that you can customize the cover. I haven’t customized mine, but something about having a fun cover makes it feel cooler than not having one.
Wildcard - Something I’m proud of
It’s hard to believe that it’s been just over a year since I first published the Hekate Journal notebook, a collaboration between Sara Mastros and me(!!!) — the first of the Witch Notebooks series.
Although I’d begun to experiment with the notebooks in January 2024, it wasn’t until we worked together that I really found the format I loved.
We made another notebook after that (the Solomon one I mentioned a few months back) and now I’m in the process of collaborating on notebook series with several other teachers + writers…
I love this work. It feels creative and meaningful.
In personal news, the thing I’m loving most right now is that my brother and his partner of many years got engaged recently and we’ve finally added Malik to the family group chat (#NowItsReal). The best part of this was that they both planned on asking each other on the same trip— and Malik called each of us before the trip to ask our blessings (totally unnecessary), so we ALL KNEW. It brought so much delight, waiting and being in on the secret from both sides.
P.S: I have a tiny book coming out soon!!! It’s called Mindful Moments, and I’ll share more with you here in the next issue. If you follow me over on Patreon, you’ll get some info next week. 🙂