10 THINGS: Shears, Shadows, Sharing

All my recommendations for what to watch, read, eat, appreciate, think about, listen to, consider, and do this week.

Hello My Friends!

Summer is a time where I do a lot of consuming of things, so my recommendations log is overflowing. What a nice problem to have! Most of these were sent to me by other people, which just goes to show that other people have even better taste than I have. It’s very noble of me to admit this.

First three are free; there are seven more treats beneath the paywall.

1. WATCH: Public library social media

   Local libraries are stepping up their social media games, and I am just 1,000% here for it. I have a real crush on every librarian and every person who enters a library. It’s a problem.

milwaukeepubliclibrary

A post shared by @milwaukeepubliclibrary

The ones I’m following (and loving) are: Milwaukee, Columbus (lots of hotties on there), CPL (obviously), Lombard, and Scottsdale. Drop your favorites in the comments!

While you’re at it, check out this Substack called

Looking at Picture Books

(recommended to me by several of YOU!), and in particular look at this amazing old children’s book called “How To Make An Earthquake.” I want this book so badly, but it’s good that I am not going to get it. It’s good that someone else has it, and that this someone else is doing their due diligence and sharing it with the world.

2. BUY: Some hair cutting scissors

   

One of the greatest purchases I’ve made in my adult life was a pair of professional hair-cutting shears. (Personally, I’d spend $40 on these, and this pair is currently on sale for that price.) I don’t care how sharp your non-hair scissors are; these are leagues better. You may not ever cut your own hair, but also, don’t you? Don’t you sometimes need to cut a tiny knot out? Doesn’t your partner or their friend sometimes have a stray tuft that you wish you could just nix? Don’t you sometimes want to give yourself the most casual of trims to mitigate the $100+-dollar salon visits you keep making? Or maybe you have a kid or a dog or an unruly bikini line with hair that would benefit from a clean snip from time to time. I refuse to believe you will regret owning these.

3. APPRECIATE: Yarrow and Katydids

The colors of summer are out in full force, and they’re spectacular. Two of my favorites: the specific neon-adjacent yellow on a tuft of full yarrow; and the bright, bright green of the leafy abdomen on a katydid. Just a few facts about both of these miraculous living things:

• Yarrow has been used for centuries to treat wounds; it has blood-clotting properties and a whole ton of vitamins. The entire plant is edible; it smells and tastes a little like licorice or anise, and I love to rub it between my fingers if I find an errant leaf while on a walk. Its scientific name is as Achillea millefolium, after the Greek god Achilles, who apparently used it to treat soldier’s wounds. For this and other reasons, yarrow is a symbol of resilience. Give it in a bouquet to a friend who has made it through a tough time.

• Katydids are so-named because they make a sound in the neighborhood of “Katie-did” or “Katie-didn’t,” depending on who you ask. They have ears on their front legs, and their their wings look like leaves. Some female katydids can reproduce asexually! They’re good for your garden, because they eat aphids and other annoying little cluster insects who want to destroy kale.