Joining Xander Bogaerts in a Red Sox run of sparkle, Rafael Devers hits his way to his first Dazzler of the Day crowning. Signed by the Red Sox as a 16-year-old (no idea how that works) Devers was considered to be the best left-handed hitter in the world. No comment on what wondrous things I was getting up to at the age of 16, but it wasn’t a $1.5 million deal. Congrats to Devers on that, and this latest honor.
When you have made a space feel light and airy and somewhat minimalist, the simple addition of a plain vase and a large branch of foliage can make an incredible difference. It’s also a design trick used in almost any catalog you get in the mail these days: the single dramatic branch in a vase, backed by the most naturally beautiful lighting you could imagine, and just enough visual crack to make you buy everything on the page. In the end, all you are looking for is that single stupid branch, so save yourself the time and trouble of trying to recreate every exact element of a show-room and focus on what you can do to the living space you already have.
In the case of our attic loft room, the white walls and clear space left some prime spots for a bit of outdoor natural wonder. A spray of coral bark Japanese maple foliage and a dramatic blooming branch of the Wolf’s Eye Chinese dogwood liven up their respective corners.
For another corner, I chopped off a trio of oak branches, which was a bit of an experiment as I wasn’t sure they would take well to water. It’s going on day three without showing signs of wilt, so it may be a new happy design element. For all of these ‘bouquets’, I made a long angled cut, then crushed the end of the branch to allow for maximum intake of water. Cut first thing in the morning, they were placed in this cool room with some soft light, and left to put on their show.
There are so many possibilities with what many of us have right in our own backyards that it’s worth an experiment, especially when you want to bring in a bit of the outdoors into a space with a small (or no) window that would otherwise not support houseplants.
If they take well to the water treatment, most of these will last far longer than a typical bouquet of flowers, while looking just as elegant. In simplicity there is beauty and peace.
Gearing up for our BroSox Adventure this weekend, this post marks the debut of Xander Bogaerts as Dazzler of the Day, as my pal Skip recommends him as our first pick of the season for such an honor. Bogaerts goes by a few nicknames – ‘X-man’ or ‘Bogie’ (‘Bogey’) – and has been honored with the Silver Slugger Award several times.
In so many ways, Suzie enjoyed the childhood that I would have liked to enjoy: she had all the Barbie dolls, the Barbie dream house, a four-poster bed with a pink gingham canopy, and a mother who dressed her in hats for all the special occasions. Sometimes, and in the best possible fashion, she got a bonnet for an Olan Mills glamour shot. As this marks Suzie’s birthday, it seems a good time to debut these long-lost photos.
The second one shows off our summer terry-cloth looks, something I am hell-bent on bringing back. I even have that tummy again, and last time we spoke Suzie was toying with the idea of going back to bangs. Everything old is new again, so happy birthday old friend.
This purple clematis is one of those plants I forgot I even planted, until it climbed up and out of the foliage and branches of a climbing hydrangea and sported this big beautiful bloom. To be honest, I’m not even sure where it is located in the ground exactly – I only become aware of it at this time of the year when it blooms, and despite such neglect it still throws out such beauty sporadically throughout the summer. It’s due a little extra care now, and I’ll try to trace its stems and deliver some pampering to its roots.
It’s amazing what a little fringe and a Lady Gaga cover can do for a person: witness the miraculous alchemy of Orville Peck’s cover of ‘Born This Way’ just in the nick of time for Pride Month. Peck earns his first Dazzler of the Day with his unique brand of country sparkle and creamy-smooth country vocal prowess.
The flowering maple is not very much like the typical maple tree, starting with its vine-like form and climaxing with this vibrant floral exhibition. The last time I tried one of these, I potted it up and put it on our back patio, but it didn’t do much at first. Not one bloom could be coaxed out of it, but soon it started a long journey upwards, growing about seven feet by the end of the season, without ties or guides: it simply leaned against a pole and did its thing.
Before the first frost arrived, I handed it off to my brother, and his fiancee took a photo of it a few later when it finally deigned to bloom in their sunny living room.
This year I found a specimen already in bloom, and with a number of buds in the works. It’s less red and more orange than the original one I had, and this tinge of salmon is a lovely addition to our backyard. I can’t wait to see how high this one will go and whether it continues such a lovely parade.
His celebratory ‘Boys Who Like Boys’ song just got a fun fan treatment as seen below, and just in time for Pride month. Even better, Eli Lieb has a formidable career as an openly-gay artist, trailblazing the way for many burgeoning acts in his wake. He’s been a Hunk of the Day here previously, and now he gets to add Dazzler of the Day to his already-sparkling curriculum vitae.
June entered the picture and everything was as if we never said goodbye. One of the happiest months of the year (hello soon-to-be-summer, and perhaps sooner than we usually celebrate here) June has always marked the dramatic start to the season of sun. May proved tricker than usual, with a dip in temps and a steady stream of rain, but June turned things back up with a couple of hot and steamy days. This weekend was spent mostly in and around the pool, so let’s get this recap done and then back in the water…
The month of Pride is upon us.
Scandi attic loft: the summer place to be.
White peonies in a white room.
The marvelous words of Bayard Rustin.
Dazzlers of the Day included Ellen DeGeneres, Tim Ferriss, James Falciano, Karine Jean-Pierre and Tom Daley.
“I believe in social dislocation and creative trouble.” ~ Bayard Rustin
“If we desire a society of peace, then we cannot achieve such a society through violence. If we desire a society without discrimination, then we must not discriminate against anyone in the process of building this society. If we desire a society that is democratic, then democracy must become a means as well as an end.” ~ Bayard Rustin
“Let us be enraged about injustice, but let us not be destroyed by it.” ~ Bayard Rustin
“When an individual is protesting society’s refusal to acknowledge his dignity as a human being, his very act of protest confers dignity on him.” ~ Bayard Rustin
“Every indifference to prejudice is suicide because, if I don’t fight all bigotry, bigotry itself will be strengthened and, sooner or later, it will return on me.” ~ Bayard Rustin
His Speedo-clad form has graced this blog numerous times in the past, and as the world gears up for the summer Olympics he’s back in the Speedo again, suited up and ready to dive into his first crowning as Dazzler of the Day. This is Tom Daley and he needs no other introduction thanks to posts like this and this and most especially this. He’s been on competitive fire lately, with his diving partner Matty Lee, and the world waits with breathless anticipation for what the pair will bring to the Olympic pool.
With Pride Month in full swing, and a large number of Pride events happenings as the vaccinated among us move more freely than we have in well over a year, I’m taking a moment to be both serious and silly about this special month. Hence these photos, taken so I could update my social media profiles with something more seasonally gay.
Next weekend is when some of the main Pride events are happening in Boston, including Pride Night at Fenway Park with the Red Sox. More often than not, Skip and I would find ourselves there for such an event, and it always thrilled me to see the rainbow flags flying at Fenway and on the Boston Public Library. While we mostly skirted the big parade (we did it properly once) it was good simply to be in town for such celebratory fun. Boston enjoys an electric-like excitement in June, whether from the residual glow of graduations, or the exuberant arrival of summer, or probably a bit of both – and it’s sort of a glorious finale right before the city seeps into its sleepy summer slumber (which I tend to appreciate even more).
On the serious side, all the rainbows and unicorns and fluffy party scenes mask the heartache of the history that we in the LGBTQ+ community have endured and survived – and it’s worth a moment to recognize and remember the many of us who didn’t make it this far. It’s also worth challenging ourselves in analyzing the privilege and distinctions among intersectional groups and individuals within our widely-varied community. We are making progress, but this is a long journey, and it’s largely in its infancy. Let’s keep going, and growing, and learning.
Summer whispers sweetly on the warm breeze, hinting at its imminent arrival, teasingly coy and elusive – not quite ready to fully announce itself – and all the more enchanting for it. In aqua and turquoise and yellow – shades of sea and shades of sun – a curated collection of bracelets conjures the spirit of the coming season.
In the night air, a little piano piece by Grieg comes and goes, momentarily stealing focus from the background drone of a lawnmower somewhere in the distance. Piano lessons and summer go hand-in-hand, and not without some bit of tension for those of us who never quite practiced enough.
A lavender and coriander scent from Jo Malone, and a bit of ‘Daisy’ by Marc Jacobs round out this little scene, adding elements of summer fragrance both light and fleeting. That’s why summer is so beloved – it never seems to last.
Karine Jean-Pierre is the White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary, and recently became the first Black person in thirty years to hold a press conference in such a capacity. That historic moment was powerful to witness, and every time she holds court in interviews or press events, she gives a lesson in power and grace. (I still remember the way she absolutely held the floor when a heckler approached then-Vice-Presidential nominee Kamala Harris.) She earns her first Dazzler of the Day honor thanks to her work as activist, political commentator, and author.
Lee Bailey once remarked that June is all about the roses, and that certainly seems to be the case this year, as around every corner there seems to be another bush aflame with flowers. We only have a Rosa rugosa in the garden right now, and it has not yet sent up any buds – hopefully they will be arriving later in the summer – the closest we may get to the beach for some time.
Other than that, we will have to find our rose fixes in public spaces, and they are happily and largely available if you look in the right places.
For me, the best part of a rose is the perfume. Not all roses have a scent, but the very best do, and it pervades and intoxicates like no other fragrance I’ve ever experienced. I love the hints of it in ‘Portrait of a Lady‘ or ‘Oud Fleur‘ or ‘Rose & Cuir‘. It’s still best straight from the blossom, on sunny summer days, and too soon gone with a breeze.
