late spring delights
a quick missive for a sun-drenched holiday weekend.
Memorial Day weekend in the US marks the start of summer for many. It’s a weekend for lake days, backyard barbecues and long rambles at the park and also happens to kick off a whole season of them. This weekend in Minnesota is proving beautiful - sunshine, gentle breezes and the scent of lilacs everywhere. While I’m starting to gear up for it (hello summer reading excitement!), I am not in full summer mode quite yet. The school year is not quite over, astronomical summer officially starts June 21, and the rhubarb is still abundant at my local coop. My job is also tied to the school calendar, wrapping up our busiest season with a huge end-of-spring event next weekend. After that, I will be switching to full Summer Jo mode, but for now I am savoring these last few days of spring.
I’m especially treasuring these delights of late spring:
open windows, bird song and gentle breezes
peas of all kinds, in all applications
a spring lattice pastry this morning full of rhubarb compote and buttery layers
my favorite salted nutella syrup in coffee
driving with the windows down in the afternoon (and most certainly still up in the morning!)
watching every plant slowly burst forth, from milkweed in my front garden to phlox along my drive to work
asparagus
hope-filled spring books
wearing jeans and a t-shirt and being not too hot and not too cold
walking through the neighborhood and smelling lilacs
dill on everything
turning on a soothing 90s rom-com (spring is the ultimate season for them!)
the sun rising just a little earlier each morning; and staying up just a little later each evening
I also have a few more things on my spring list I want to make time for yet this season, trying to get to these in the next few days:
Planting carrots and peas in my tiny back patio - Perhaps I’m way too late already but it doesn’t hurt to try! I do have my first tomato plant (ever!) potted and a successful new crop of herbs growing in my kitchen window.
Having a picnic - Picnics are not in my regular routine but we do have some lovely parks in Minneapolis and I would love to grab a friend or two for a little snack spread on a blanket to celebrate spring.
Watching Reprise by Joachim Trier - I absolutely loved Sentimental Value and The Worst Person in the World and would like to work my way through Joachim Trier’s earlier films. I had saved Reprise to my spring watchlist at the start of the season but have yet to track it down! Hoping to remedy that soon.
A little note: I love putting together a short list of movies I’d like to watch at the start of the season. When I do have time to sit down and watch something, I can just hop right in on a movie and not spend the evening scrolling between different streaming services. Seasonal nudge - write your own quick summer watchlist right now! Inspiration here.
Is there anything you want to make time for in these last few days of spring? Anything you are particularly savoring about this transitional time of year? I hope the rest of this spring weekend is lovely for you!
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seasonal things. is where I send out weekly notes about how to make the most of each season. From nudges to notice the tiny signs of the season to favorite seasonal books to inspiration for eating seasonally, all the posts I share are simple, accessible ways to embrace the time of year we find ourselves in. Paying attention to the subtle shifts outside and changing my meals and music and books along with the time of year has brought joy and calm to my life. I hope these short weekly notes bring a dose of seasonal joy and calm to you. Thanks so much for reading!
