Hey homebody, how are you doing these days?

In this week’s newsletter: the magic of ideas, stock tank pools, and pipe organs

IF I HAD A NICKLE...

Ever had the feeling when reading, hearing, or seeing something new that the idea had come to you years ago and that it was your idea first?

On the recommendation of a friend, I'm listening to Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic.

Gilbert writes in the chapter "An Idea Arrives" that ideas are energetic life forms that are always swirling about us, looking for a willing human partner to collaborate with. Years ago I lived in a small community of 2,500 in a national forest where we used to say, "You didn't lose your boyfriend, you just had your turn." Not quite the same thing, but kinda.

A later chapter "Multiple Discovery" takes this even further in that this theory would explain how the same idea can come to more than one person around, or at, the same time.

I'm listening to the audiobook while finishing the fingering weight shawl I started at the beginning of quarantine. It is read by the author, which I love. I think you might like it too.

Buy or download Big Magic here

SPA BY TRACTOR SUPPLY

Stock tank pools seem to be still having a moment. Perhaps it's because everyone is trying to create their own outdoor oasis while we hunker down at home and the likelihood of public swimming pools being closed this Summer due to Covid-19.

They are an affordable option and you can keep it as simple as just filling and draining, or installing a pool filter and using chlorine tabs. You can find all you need at your nearest farm and ranch supply store.

Our stock tank pool is one of the best things about summer!

The water is always cool and the oblong tank is deep enough for the water to reach our shoulders and long enough that we can enjoy it together, or I can just float if I want to. I always want to. I love nothing better than jumping in after yard work and then drying off in the warm hammock.

We originally set the pool in the sun and the metal tank itself was too hot to touch after a day in the sun and the water felt like bathwater. What were we thinking? Not the refreshing dip I’d envisioned. We moved it to our shady side yard and found the perfect place between the pines against our neighbor’s garage.

We decided to keep it simple and not add a pool filter or chlorine so I can hook up a hose to the spout for watering the Oak Leaf Hydrangea and trees in our courtyard.

This is Summer #3 for this stock tank pool and I've decided that this year I will buy a sump pump so I can drain without having to tip it over.

Read this article for tips on setting up a stock tank pool of your own.

My favorite things this week:

See this post about my twist on a favorite summer salad

Watch Pipe Dreams. The fact that there are young people who compete in pipe organ contests and that they have an audience and following and receive standing ovations restores my faith in humanity.

Gotta try these lemon meringue pie bars! I love how efficient it is using the yolks and for the filing and the whites for the meringue. Also, how liberating to just toss a whole lemon in the Vitamix.

These Le Parfait Familia jars are the perfect glass jar for overnight oats... they are a bit pricey but because they are short and wide, it's easier to get every morsel in your belly, and not leave any in the bottom of your jar.

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Stay Cheeky,
Stacey

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