Hello friends,
It’s late Saturday and I’ve, oddly enough, found a cozy spot in my closet to write today’s Sunday post. All is well (right?) and there’s a coziness being surrounded by sweaters and aprons. Also… it’s a small walk-in closet so things aren’t as dramatic as they sound over here.
All of my energy this weekend is going into Bakehouse workshops. Today was some pretty stellar Drake on Cake work and Sunday we’re making Berry and Apple Pies. Six of them, to be sure. Does it get better than this? If it does, don’t tell me about it just yet.
Um. I turn 38 next weekend. Weird because I’m pretty sure my mom is 38 so somewhere the math is wrong.
How are you? Real question. Are you steady and well? Well-rested and ready? That’s my hope.
The offering is here for you. The invitation is to take what you need and nothing more:
• By now we all know that several states within the United States are challenging women’s health rights with the ‘heartbeat bill’. It’s never not a scary time to carry these female bodies around the world. I’ve been struggling lately to understand the WHY of all of this. It’s not out of regard for human life – if it were wouldn’t it also make sense to talk about making contraception super accessible, making reliable healthcare achievable for everyone, more subsidized child care, and investing in, you know, education!? I really struggle with understanding why some people think themselves the authority over something so deeply difficult and personal. And – for anyone whose typing fingers are burning to comment, say what you will but this isn’t a place where I care to have a debate. A Direct Challenge to Roe v. Wade in Alabama. There’s a plan. (The New York Times, The Daily)
• This week’s longread is talk of Tony Robbins. You know the dude – this country’s most famous self-help guru. Remember all the trampoline work in I Am Not Your Guru? Well here we are: Unlimited Power. I suddenly feel the need to google the phrase ‘cult of personality’ to make sure I understand it correctly. (Netfliz and Buzzfeed)
• This perspective struck me: Who Gets To Call Herself a Single Mom? (InStyle)
• In these dark times I’ve been piling on and binge-listening to Crime Junkie Podcast. It’s honestly really great if you’re into torturing yourself with stories of the missing and murdered? Am I ok? Sure, mostly. Also… ok here’s one more thing – do you have an If I Go Missing file? Something with all your information and usual habits and passwords? Don’t worry mom – I share my location with you, remember? (Crime Junkie Podcast)
• I also really needed to read this perspective this week: Don’t Use My Family For Your True Crime Stories. (CrimeRead)
• I’m hoping to take a weeklong drive through California in June to see Big Sur for the first time. This little guide is helpful: California Highway 1: Los Angeles to Big Sur.(Salt and Wind)
• The second season of Fleabag is here for us just in time. This show is so honest and poignant in a big way. (Amazon)
• Jon Jon made this absolute gem and the next time I take out my bundt pan, here’s what’s going in it: Peanut Butter Chocolate Doughnut Cake. (The Candid Appetite)
• I’ve been craving a classic this week: Pasta Salad. Made it. No regrets. (The Kitchn)
• Current favorite cookbook: Ottolenghi Simple. (Amazon)
• There is some small good news this week: Everlane has a new jumpsuit for us! (Everlane)
Enjoy this lovely day!
My love to you –
xo Joy
Mary Ann
Go, Joy! Thanks. Yes, a platform that remains unused is a waste indeed.
Happy Birthday! :)
Karen
The President is jamming through judges that support his outlook on Roe. The problem here is that President Obama wasn’t allowed to put his pick for Supreme Court Justice even up for a hearing. The Republicans blocked him from doing so and waited until a Republican President came into office and then allowed hearings to transpire. This has never happened before and all of it is happening to align the courts with Theocratic ideals including overturning Roe v Wade. The nominees for the court were asked specific questions about these ideals and they refused to answer the questions. Yet, they were still voted into those positions. I do get a lot of Joy coming to this blog for great recipes and the opportunity to see her insights into what is happening in the world. As blogger, she has the right to express her opinion and we do not have to agree nor even go to the links she provides. We are lucky in America to be able to voice our thoughts and opinions without fear. I hope Joy continues to share her experiences and observations.
Lu
Dear Joy- thanks for the commentary on the latest political action by all those who think they are acting in the best interest of everyone involved. Deeply difficult and personal. I love that! That is exactly what it is. I worked with so many women and young adolescents who have found themselves in such dire situations. Machismo men that strut their stuff because they believe having another child makes them manly. They can’t even afford to pay the bills! The poor woman who cry at night because not only were they impregnated against their will, they have to figure out how to feed another child and suffer right along with their children. Rape victims who can even bring themselves to face the dreadful reality of their situation. Incest situations that are so egregious, all you can do is cry at night because you wonder where is this society going with the loss of family morals and values. What more can I do to change the condition? You keep crying and hope it cleanses you enough spiritually so you can get up and fight for yourself and others another day. I don’t want to debate it either. I have seen enough. I’ll just visit my congressperson or senator and let them know I am watching them. You vote for this legislation, not only will you lose my vote, but you have dismissed the suffering of millions of women who literally have no control over their lives and circumstances.
Kim
Happy Happy Birthday and many more.
I look forward to reading your posts and love hearing from you every week!
Ann
Thank you for your weekly blog post, Joy. Needed it today more than most weekends. A Trump-lite government has just been re-elected in Australia. Feeling so disconnected and despondent – wish my closet was big enough to spend time in!
Dani H
Happy (almost) Birthday, Joy!
38 is a fabulous age!
Jessica
“And – for anyone whose typing fingers are burning to comment, say what you will but this isn’t a place where I care to have a debate.”
I read this and it broke my heart. Because, yes, we can all agree, this is a deeply difficult issue. But to shut down debate is basically to to refuse to listen to any thoughts or opinions that are different from your own. This is directly responsible for the ever increasing polarization in this country. When we get to the point where we can’t even hear what our sisters have to say, we are truly beyond hope.
Liz silacci
Joy, please visit the beautiful Big Sur restaurant Nepenthe! Enjoy a glass of something at the bar overlooking our Pacific Ocean!
Cheers:)
Liz
Sue
This post deeply saddens me. When it comes to divisive subjects, we often ask “why is this happening?” or “how could these people have this view?”; but we’re then unwilling to listen to anyone whose opinion differs from our own. By only listening to those who share our viewpoint, we begin to see those with different views as “other,” as the opposition, and eventually as monsters and something less than human. It seems to me that open and honest discussion is the ONLY way to combat this tendency. To acknowledge that some issues are so complicated that there isn’t anything as simple as a “right” or a “wrong” answer. To share our views and the experiences that shaped those views. To approach each other with respect and compassion and the understanding that we’re all trying to make the world a better place (even if we have different ideas of how to accomplish that).
I agree that the comment section of a blog post may not be the ideal place to discuss abortion (especially given the vitriol of the internet in general and around this topic in particular). But doing away with these discussions is in large part what has brought us to where we are today – hopelessly divided on myriad issues; staunch in our beliefs that “we” are right while “they” are evil. There’s no way forward like that, no hope for the future.
I personally think we need more discussions, more view sharing – and A LOT more listening from all sides.
Elizabeth C. Hying
Umm, My 40th birthday party is at the end of next month, I’ll be 22.
In our family, we pick an age and sometimes change it every 30-40 years later.
Kara
I wonder if our moms were the same age when we were born, because I had the same reaction when I turned 38. I’m 40 now, but when I turned 38 it was one of the “woah” birthdays. I figured out that it was because 38 is the first age that I really clearly remember my mom being. And of course she seemed so old to me, ouch. I wonder if it’s the same for you? Let’s see. . .I would have been 9 when my mom was 38.
Miriam
The meatballs in Ottolenghi Simple…yeah.
Lynne
Happy Birthday Joy! You are one of my favorite people on-line. I hope this year will be special and wonderful and everything you hope for!
Barbara Stecker
If you can, add the Humboldt State Parks to your list and the Avenue of Giants. Old growth redwoods, campgrounds where each site is surrounded by secondary growth and private. One step (actually about 20 feet into the woods off any parking pull out and it is pristine silence, green nurturing. Really, go there!
Also, campfire talks for the child in us! Immense beauty.
Love your column and your new direction slowly developing; growth and change! (or maybe quickly?)
Pherooz
Joy, I read your blog regularly but almost never comment. Today, I just had to though. Thank you for your thoughtful and thought-provoking curating of articles and features, which I enjoy weekly. But more importantly, thank you for your kind and gentle way of expressing your opinions and creating a safe space for all. I agree with your comments and thoughts about Alabama and what’s happening around the US. Your thoughtful, mindful approach serves as an inspiration to me. Thank you.
Happy 38th! I hope you have a fantastic day and a year filled with joy, hope and peace!