Personal Recommendations, Vol. 4

Five things that delighted me or moved me this month.

Spring is here in our neighborhood—I saw a butterfly emerging from hibernation (did you know some of them hibernate?!)—and this week I’m bursting with things to share. But first, a quick note. If you follow me on Instagram, you may be aware I’ve been working on a book and I’m so thrilled to say it’s almost to the finish line! I have a galley copy on my desk, so stay tuned for launch details. And in related news, I’m going to have availability for client work this summer, so if you know anyone who needs storytelling, content strategy or copywriting help, I’d love to talk!

As always, thank you for reading. Now on to the good stuff—five things that moved or delighted me this month.

I think I first got into Big Thief when NPR Music tapped Adrianne Lenker for “best guitar solo of the year” in 2019. Her voice, her guitar, the songwriting, I love it all (including Lenker’s solo albums). And this spring—maybe just this moment in my life—the first song on their 2025 album Double Infinity just feels so right. Like, on repeat right.

Since the first time I had a little plot of dirt to call my own, I’ve been on a quest to create the most delightful garden I can with the least amount of supplemental watering—and I recently discovered a resource way too good to keep to myself. I feel silly, because it was published in 1994 but took me years and years to discover: The Undaunted Garden, by Lauren Springer. It includes a big section on dry shade (miracle of miracles!) and features all sorts of water-wise plants, both native and well adjusted exotics. It’s the common-sense guide I’ve been yearning for all this time, and I highly recommend. Springer is now my official gardening idol.

I was slow to come around to the idea of motherhood—having a kid at 40—partly because of the tropes about motherhood and creative careers being incompatible. Having a child has definitely changed my creative life, and I’m so glad I didn’t let fear keep me from it. Which is why I’m excited to read a growing chorus of writers describing mothering and creativity with more nuance than I’d read before. Like Grace Gulley. Each of her newsletters manages to put into words the complex feelings of feeling both constantly split and full of love. I recommend remaining: what survives prolonged interruption.

Helping out for a recent story about Colorado’s Rye Resurgence Project, I learned rye requires less water to grow than wheat and, when grown as a cover crop, improves soil conditions. Which is why farmers in the San Luis Valley are working to build a market for it—their aquifers are threatened and they’re up against Dust Bowl conditions. I don’t live in Colorado anymore (the San Luis Valley still holds a special place in my heart), but our local miller sells Montana rye, and I nabbed a bag, inspired to try baking with it. I started with the Violet Bakery Rye Brownies from the New York Times and am pleased to share the results were wonderful. In my oven, they were done well before the suggested bake time, but the flavor was fantastic. I can’t wait to bake rye cookies next!

And apropos of nothing, did you know that elephants’ trunks are so sensitive they can pick up a tortilla chip without breaking it? If elephants don’t just absolutely delight you, I’m not sure we can be friends. And if you’re on the fence, let me share this little piece from Nautilus about how their trunk whiskers work. Even if you just click the link to watch videos of these lovely giants picking up all sorts of tiny items with their super-strong trunks, it will probably make your day better.