Currently • September 2022

“Ah, September! You are the doorway to the season that awakens my soul... but I must confess that I love you only because you are a prelude to my beloved October.” ― Peggy Toney Horton

READING:

• The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley — “The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother’s situation, and the more questions she has. Ben’s neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it’s starting to look like it’s Ben’s future that’s in question. The socialite – The nice guy – The alcoholic – The girl on the verge – The concierge. Everyone’s a neighbor. Everyone’s a suspect. And everyone knows something they’re not telling” (Goodreads).

• The Guest Book by Sarah Blake — “A unforgettable love story, a novel about past mistakes and betrayals that ripple throughout generations, The Guest Book examines not just a privileged American family, but a privileged America. It is a literary triumph” (Goodreads). This book grabbed my attention from the first page as it described sailing off the coast of Maine (albeit with one technical inaccuracy) and I had a hard time putting it down. Yet in the end, I can’t decide if I like the book or not.

WATCHING:

• Making the Cut Season 3 on Prime — This season seemed extra short with little drama and a rather predictable ending.

• The Great British Baking Show Season 13 on Netflix — Things seem to be back to “normal” in the tents.

• Real Girlfriends in Paris on Bravo — Like RHONY, I’m not sure why I watch this. My love for Paris made me do it.

• Pinocchio on Disney+ — Robert Zemeckis’ remake with Tom Hanks is worth watching.

ENJOYING:

• Puttering around on Nagawicka Lake — We saw a double rainbow and watched some sailboat races with Miss Piper. It was her first time on the water and she rocked her little yellow life jacket.

• A long weekend in the North Woods — Despite the rain and delayed fall colors, we had a nice time catching up with friends, shopping for treasures in local shops and flea markets, canoeing to Michigan, and dining at Little Bohemia — the infamous resort where John Dillinger and his gang had a shootout with the FBI in 1934. There are still bullet holes in the walls and several artifacts that were left behind when the gang made their getaway. After dinner, we had to watch Public Enemies with Johnny Depp and Marion Cotillard.

• Cooler weather — I love the change of seasons and temps in the 50s and 60s are perfect for bundling up and enjoying cozy evenings on the deck or by the fireplace.

PLANNING:

• A long weekend in Door County in October — steaming coffee and cardamom rolls from Fika in the morning; long walks in the woods to enjoy the fall colors and crisp air; wine on the deck at sunset; tart apples from Woods and cider from Island Orchard; meals at Chives and Trixie's; shopping at Bliss…

• My own trip to Paris next spring — I planned Paris excursions for three colleagues this summer, so now it’s my turn. So far, the flight is booked (although it has changed twice already) and the Clairette apartment is reserved (I’m so excited to stay here). I don’t want to overplan, but I do enjoy creating a list of possibilities.

Links I Love • September 2022

“Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world.” - Marilyn Monroe

• Tiny Little Ballet Flats Are Going to Be Big This Fall (Vogue) — Always my go-to footwear.

• Headband are Back (Vogue) and I’m here for it — I always have been.

• Her Majesty The Queen, A Style Legacy (Elle)

• Paris Subway Station renamed “Elizabeth II”

• Audrey Hepburn: Why “Funny Face” Should Be on Your To-Watch List (Vogue)

• The Best Paris Books of 2022 (So Far) — I have only read three of them.

• 5 Golden Rules for Applying Perfume (Vogue)

• An Ode to Autumn, the Season of Change and New Beginnings

At Home and in Paris

“There are only two places in the world where we can live happy: at home and in Paris.” — Ernest Hemingway

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“At home and in Paris” — I love my home here in Delafield, Wisconsin. Yet I am most happy when I am able to visit Paris — to speak French, to take photos, and to enjoy the joie de vivre and then to return home inspired.

When I boarded a plane at CDG to return to home in October 2019, I had no idea that it would be nearly three and a half years before I would return to Pais again. Exactly two weeks after what would have been my annual birthday trip at the end of February 2020, but that I postponed in favor of an extended spring break and promise of the iconic April in Paris, the world locked down.

So you can imagine how excited I am to return to my beloved city six months from now and to be staying in this adorable Paris Perfect apartment in the Gros Caillou neighborhood of the 7th arrondissement where our most famous neighbor will be Madame Eiffel herself. Image the sparkles just outside the windows.

[Gallery photos courtesy of Paris Perfect]

Beagle on a Boat

“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” ― Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

Piper’s maiden voyage on Nagawicka Lake

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August 2022 in Pictures

"Life is a painting, and you are the artist. You have on your palette all the colors in the spectrum…” — Paul J. Meyer

While many people, especially educators, enjoy this last, long month of summer, I really do not enjoy August. It is typically hot and humid and buzzing with insects. Although this year was pleasantly cool, usually, once August comes, I’m ready to skip right to September.

Over the past few years of curated monthly collections, I have struggled to define the colors of August. Some months seem obvious while other require a bit more creativity. I have tried “sunny hues” — yellows, reds, and oranges, yet, having just finished a patriotic July, my reds have been depleted; I used most of the yellows in April aside from the sunflowers; and since it’s my least favorite, I have very few photos that feature the color orange, most of those being reserved for October. In 2020, I scrapped the color theme in August in favor of the alphabet — an image of something that begins with each of the letters followed by the numbers one through five. In 2021, I featured photos of my favorite things — the things for which I am most grateful: nature (especially the birds, bees, butterflies, and flowers in my own garden), being on the water (sailing and rowing), travel (especially to Door County and Paris), creativity (photography and writing), education (books and my time at Marquette), good food and wine and time with friends and family (especially Miss Piper). And as a bonus, the color scheme evolved naturally and reflected my some favorite hues, rendering August 2021 one of my favorite collages.

This year’s collages are softer, more muted versions of their monthly color schemes, but for August, I embraced a bold spectrum. It’s not my favorite collection, but it still features some of my favorite subjects — flowers, water, shapes, textures, and of course, a certain ever-photogenic beagle.

Currently • August 2022

“Breathe the sweetness that hovers in August.” – Denise Levertov

READING:

• The Paper Girl of Paris by Jordyn Taylor — “When her grandmother passed away, she left sixteen-year-old Alice an apartment in Paris that no one knew existed — an apartment that has been locked for more than seventy years. Alice is determined to find out why the apartment was abandoned and why her grandmother never once mentioned the family she left behind when she moved to America after World War II. With the help of Paul, a charming Parisian student, she sets out to uncover the truth. ” (Goodreads).

• The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger — Just for fun and because everything else I want to read in on hold.

WATCHING/LISTENING TO:

• The Kennedy Center Honors — Great tributes, great music.

• Green Bay Packers pre-season games

• Jimmy Buffett Life on the Flip Side Redux live from Alpine Valley 08/20/2022 — We didn’t go this year, but I think it was even better to watch “live” from our living room with wine and a beagle.

ENJOYING:

• Socializing at the Nagawicka Lake Yacht Club — It is great to connect with others who share our love of sailing and this club is right across the lake from our house.

• One nephew’s sweet sixteen and another’s final send-off before he starts college in two weeks.

• My annual personal holiday, Dolce far niente — the joy of doing nothing. I always take a day before school starts to read, watch movies, get pampered, and other equally idle pursuits with my favorite loafing partner, Piper.

FEELING: Anxious — Even after fifty years of first days of school, I still feel equal parts excitement and anxiety. C’est normal.

PLANNING:

• A couple of fall weekend getaways — We didn’t spend a single night away this summer, so I’m eager for a change of scenery. We plan to visit friends in the north woods of Wisconsin in mid-September and enjoy the fall colors in Door County in October.

• Walking tours and excursions for three co-workers who are taking trips to Paris in August and September. It’s fun to take their must-dos and create bespoke itineraries for them. And it’s good research for my own trip next spring. I’ll be posting a sneak peek at where we’ll be staying very soon.