Kat

My hands got so soft being in the city for a month. I just scraped my hands all to hell and got a bunch of splinters doing a tiny bit of garden work. Weak.

There is such a diversity of cultures and landscapes here in the United States and I think approaching domestic travel with the cultural curiosity that we might approach "going abroad" with would help us understand ourselves and our country better.

International travel is fancy, a signifier that you are cultured and have money. You might see cathedrals and museums. Go to a workshop where they make some sort of traditional craft. Eat traditional food. You learn about people different from yourself.

I think the way we view domestic versus international travel is very different. Domestic travel is trashy and something poor people do because they can't do anything else. It's a trip to Disneyland or lake Havasu or Myrtle Beach. It seems to be more about consumption not connection.

I think getting amped over domestic travel (or Mexico and Canada) could be good for us. I think a lot of the appeal of international travel is cultural cachet and wanting to seem well traveled. It is a class signifier.

Rick Steves is doing a donation drive on PBS. Europe is cool and all, but I don't see myself going overseas any time soon with how air travel is not great for the environment. I wonder if there is a Rick Steves of North America?

Just made a positively atomic salsa macha. When am I going to remember to use less chile de árbol?

Guac and fried potatoes for dinner. The only way to improve this would be if I had some ice cream for dessert.

The California farmers market experience: overhear two doodle owners meet and introduce their dogs. They are both named Teddy. A third person chimes in with "my doodle is named Teddy too!"

I am unreasonably irritated by people who sell things on Facebook marketplace without any measurements. Terra Cotta pot for sale, here is a picture of it but there's nothing there to indicate scale. Just guess how big it is. Gfy.

The alpastor style chickpeas from sprouts are not nice. They taste weird.

I have a weird feeling like something bad is going to happen soon. Is it my job? Is it feeling powerless about climate change? Is it politics?

Just had the most turbo charged horse girl moment. I'm watching the gilded age and noticed a carriage pulled by a pair of fjord horses. They were not likely in the United States until 1888, while the show takes place in '82.

My favorite pizza place has a $30 minimum for delivery. I just want pizza for one person. That much is such a lot of pizza.

I love being in California and getting to eat lovely fresh produce from the farmers market. I have eaten so many peaches and tomatoes since I've been here.

HULK HULK HULK HULK!

Just got a lovely Navajo churro fleece in the mail direct from a shepherd. Now I'm realizing I probably need some carders and combs. Whoops. Time to research that.

What a dream. I wish I could grow cherries but they just don't like the desert. The folks at the extension office think it's down to low humidity.

Bezos-backed methane tracking satellite is lost in space An $88 million satellite backed by billionaire Jeff Bezos that detected oil and gas industry emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane has been lost in space, the group that operates said on Tuesday.

The project I work on suffered a catastrophic loss this week. I'm still in shock and don't know what's going to happen. Feeling pretty shit. share.google/Q5tRQgA64fiQ...

In PB for the next month or so now. I love living in the county in the emptiness and silence but I also like being able to walk to the grocery store. It's also thirty degrees cooler here which is great too.

La arboretum: tons of peacocks here. There is a group of kids who call back to them every time they call. It's hilarious.

The peacocks screamed at dawn. Then on my way to get doughnuts (a socal must do) two of them were just casually crossing the street at a four way stop.

I dip you dip we dip.

You're famous!

There is a peacock somewhere outside my motel in Arcadia. I haven't seen it, but boy have I heard it.

That is some neck.

Left for my annual trip to California to "go to the sea for my health" like a Victorian heroine. Annie the dog was very upset to be left again.

Made my tea this morning only to find there was no milk in the fridge, not even a carton of cream. I was resigned to my fate of milkless tea until I remembered powdered milk is a thing that exists in my cupboard. Crisis averted.

I hope you stay as dry as possible.

Juneteenth work holiday: PBS and spinning some Navajo churro.