Fertile Ground

Sometimes you never know where an assignment will lead; plus, the return of analog, Cousin goes to Gary, and a few things I'm enjoying.

Hello readers,

And so we meet again. How are you doing?

I read a new column this week by a writer who ruminated about two things: 1. a certain corner of the internet's apparent obsession with seeming brainy rather than actually being brainy, and 2. her concern that by writing a column, people will find out that she really doesn't have anything important to say. Let me go on record as saying the only thing I got out of a college economics class was a hunting joke about Texas A&M fans, and I'm not sure I ever really have anything important to say in these weekly missives. I write them not to seem a way, but to connect with you.

How do I come up with this stuff every week? I don't know, it's out there, and read about it and think "That's weird. Let me share it." or "I'm stumped. Let me tell the story about how my father once claimed a hammerhead shark tried to eat him." Sometimes it's just me being girlishly excited about something. Or nervous. Or weary. Other times it's me saying "I never get to write about stuff like this. Let me try it on for size this week and see what that feels like."

I like to write about a bunch of different things, but don't always get to do it. For example, I don't often write home and garden pieces, which is my version of being at someone's house for a cocktail party, seeing something interesting on their shelves and asking them where they got that doo-dad. In truth, I'm probably ill-suited to this genre of writing, in part because I gravitate to writing more about the homeowner than I do the designer and design process. I really love getting to know who the homeowner is and why they want what they want, and, sure, how the designer gets them there, but more than that what life looks like once they get the house of their dreams.

One time I interviewed a family about their farm-style home somewhere in Florida, and at some point in the interview the homeowner told me how after the whole project was done, he and the designer got drunk and started shooting at squirrels. I was like, "Come again?" Seriously. They were shooting at squirrels. You cannot make this up. The homeowners made a bird house that resembled their new abode and a bunch of squirrels had moved in and started causing trouble. It was impossible for me to think of backsplashes at a time like this, so I started doing disaster reporting: How many squirrels? Were there casualties? If so, how many? Why on earth would you switch from bourbon to tequila? How long did this bloodbath last? On a scale of 1-10, how bad was your hangover the next day?

I was just going with the conversational flow.

After the dust had settled, the designer returned to the job site to patch up the bullet holes on the home's facade. Great story, in my opinion, and I'm the sort of person who does not like guns at all. Needless to say, the tale was not suitable for a polished shelter magazine (Note to self: Launch a shelter magazine named something like "Unhinged Interiors" where crazy stories like this make sense). Anyway, I digress.

Recently, I had the opportunity to write a lovely and totally nonthreatening home and garden story about a Palm Beach homeowner and a landscape designer who bonded over their shared love of trumpet flowers before collaborating on a garden worthy of the Smithsonian Archives. Prior to writing this, I did not know that the Smithsonian kept track of what it considers to be the best in American gardening, so I learned a new thing, and met some nice people in the process. If you're looking to read something that's easy on the nervous system – and this is exactly that – please click here for my story about Mrs. Ann Heathwood's tropical tapestry.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Paige

Writing prompt: Write about an experience that did not turn out how you thought it would.

I'm curious. Period. I find everything interesting. Real life. Fake life. Objects. Flowers. Cats. But mostly people. If you keep your eyes open and your mind open, everything can be interesting.

-- Agnes Varda

Endnotes

The Return of Analog

You know, back in my day we didn't have all these apps, and screens, and things. We ran wild in the woods, read books, and hung out with our friends in person. So it's nice to read that analog – or real physical things that are divorced from stupid algorithms – is making a big comeback. One hopes this is a crucial next step in our battle against existential dread.

Some analog tidbits that might interest you:

• The number of independent bookstores in the U.S. has grown by almost 50 percent since 2009.
• Vinyl record sales surpassed $1 billion in 2025.
• Nearly half of all U.S. adults say they take on creative projects like quilting, woodworking, pottery-making, etc. to unwind. The craft store Michael's says searches for "analog hobbies" have gone up 136 percent over the past eight months, while Google Trends notes a 160 percent increase in searches for the same term.
• Some folks are carrying around analog bags, which are filled with things like physical books, journals, colored pencils, knitting supplies, and crossword puzzles.
• According to the Associated Press, pen pal programs and letter writing are back in vogue with young people.
• Board games, adult coloring books, and film cameras are all in hot demand.

What do you think about all this? And in what ways are you making your world more screen-free? Hit reply and let me know if or how or why you're embracing a less online world.

COUSIN!!!

This week "The Bear" dropped a surprise prequel episode called "Gary" about a special delivery mission Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Carmy's older brother Mikey (Jon Bernthal) took to Gary, Indiana prior to the show's first season. It begins with Richie sliding a gun into the back of his pants, so you're immediately like "uh-oh" because this is Richie we're talking about here, and a gun plus his temperament equals nothing good. Add to that the fact that his pregnant wife Tiffany is really worried that he won't be back home from this gig by 5:15 p.m. because her mother went into labor with her at that time, so she's superstitious that she'll do the same. At this point we're only about two minutes into the show, tension is rising, and Mikey isn't even in the mix yet. But then he pulls up in his black pickup, and whoo boy, we're off to the races. If two characters are going to get themselves into a hilarious situation, it is Richie and Mikey. If two characters are going to bring out the worst impulses in each other, it is Richie and Mikey. And if two characters are going to absolutely break your heart, it is Richie and Mikey. So you laugh (and, in my case, you cry because you're a real big baby), and you get through this episode somehow. In the end, you see that Richie is having a flashback about his late, troubled friend, whose ghost has haunted the show for four seasons. What happens next is as surprising as the episode drop, and when the credits roll, you wonder what sort of absolute savage does this to a viewer. Has anyone seen this yet? Because I need to talk to someone about what may or may not have happened in that last scene, and what it means for season 5 of the show.

Things I'm Enjoying

The way Golden Tempo lollygagged at the back of the pack at the Kentucky Derby last weekend before getting it together to win the race. Cherie Devaux becoming the first female trainer to win a Kentucky Derby. Devaux's decision to rest her horse instead of running him in the Preakness Stakes. Atlanta United actually winning three matches in a row. Jane Fonda's Instagram tribute to her "favorite ex-husband" CNN founder Ted Turner, who died this week at the age of 87. The way my dog admires himself in a mirror.