Seeing someone who just turned 50 blossom into the prime of his life is an inspiration for those of us about to turn 50 in two months, so I’m very happy to witness this year of success for Pedro Pascal. He first came to my attention with his villainous turn in a ‘Wonder Woman’ sequel, but really sealed the deal with his work on ‘The Last of Us‘.
He’s been here before as Dazzler of the Day and shirtless in this lucky capture. Scroll down for more photos from his recent ‘Vanity Fair’ cover story.
The day opened and closed, almost precisely 13 hours apart, with a double-dip in the pool. It’s been a very long time – years probably – since I’ve taken a swim before work, but on a day scheduled to up to 98 degrees, I thought it best to start off as cool as possible, and take that loveliness with me through the day.
A cat bird joined me for the morning dip, silently perched on the wooden fence beneath the seven sons’ flower tree. I recognized its silhouette, the jaunty way its back feathers turned up and the inquisitive tilting of its head. It didn’t sing so early in the morning, perhaps enjoying the hushed early hour as much as me.
Already into the 80’s, the day looked to be an impossibly hot one, and the only way to trudge through it would be to take it slow, and keep this cool moment in mind. At some point in the summer, the heat will seep so deeply into everything – every place and every space – that it will be impossible to escape other than in one’s mind.
We were not yet there, and I will not complain at this early stage.
Dear OG –
Like an angel, your whispered notes scrawled black on scarlet tease and tantalize with promises never to be forgotten. As an overture hints at melodies to come, so too has the promotional parade for your Masquerade hinted at something magical, and I am entirely here for it. This is the moment I’ve been filling my closets for – all in shades of black, white and silver- colors of the night, with music to match.
You have managed to thrill with the most obscure hints of what form you will take, and if it’s not too much to request, All I Ask of You is that you Think of Me when designing your guest list. My collection of masks has been waiting for such an enchanting opportunity – there are so few Masquerade moments in this mad world – and unlike others I would be entirely too eager to be ensnared by your Magical Lasso again.
Looking forward to what’s about to happen on June 30…
Signed,
An Eternal Fan
One of the things I miss most about winter is the garage doubling as a fridge. Now it just doubles as an ineffective oven that never quite reaches the required temperature.
I was led to believe that marigolds were rabbit-resistant, and often planted in vegetable gardens to keep the unwelcome guests out of such space. It turns out that’s not necessarily true, as our legion of rabbits quickly ate up the bulk of marigolds I planted in less than two days.
I couldn’t be mad about it, however, as the baby bunnies that Andy and I have been watching are too cute not to feed. Early on a recent morning I looked out the window and right there, between the oregano and sage, this little creature was sitting, happily munching on some grass. I watched it stand up and take a gander at the oregano, which it promptly left alone. Same with the sage. The dill was another story, as it disappeared down to the ground after only a few days.
At least the bunny has decent taste.
Romanticizing this heat is an indulgence as it’s still rather new. Should it persist into August, we won’t have such a kind view of it. With rain due later in the week, let’s embrace the sun, and find ways to find coolness, such as in the hues of these blue and violet flowers.
The simplest way to combat the heat – or at least to attempt tolerating it – is to slow down. This is not the time to exert yourself with activity or frenzied motion. The common trio of ‘calm, cool and collected’ hasn’t lasted for its inaccuracy – each feeds into the other.
I will bring that energy into the office for the next few days, because with intention comes reaction.
So much of summer wants to shout and scream and jump up and down.
The quiet parts are what keep us cool.
Summer slams onto the scene with an oppressive wall of heat and humidity. After a disappointingly rainy spring, this sun and heat is not entirely unwelcome. It’s all a bit much, but with rain set to return for the last half of the week we’ll take it, and embrace the hot and humid island weather. It ties into our summer theme divinely, and that’s worthy of an exclamation point!
So slow your roll, pause your day, and dip into what already feels like a deep summer day. Let the sweat roll off the brow, let the heat batter you down, and let the summer have its way.
Hello Summer! We wished and you delivered and now it’s going to be 97 degrees for the next two days, followed by another week of rain, so I’ll be crashing out and taking a hostage before the weekend arrives again. Here are a couple of poppy pics to ease the whiplash of our seasonal rollercoaster. And here’s the weekly recap…
Crying Cynthia and her about-to-be-deported husband won the first FAFO Award of the week.
A spring in limbo comes to a close.
Mars enters Virgo, and I’m feeling every inch.
A whisper through the palm fronds.
Summer 2025 begins in a quiet way.
Our summer 2025 theme is ISLAND!
Janet Correa won this tearful FAFO award.
The second night of summer came and went.
Black jockstrap: back entry ~ and the Divine Diva Tour returns.
Dazzlers of the Day included Ainsley Melham and Suzanne Lambert.
Some people can be bound and gagged, spanked and humiliated, punished and degraded until their skin is red and raw and glistening with the sweat of pain – and still hold all the power in the room. It’s an unusual sort of sway, to get people to treat you that way, to trick them into thinking they have any sort of power over you. It’s madness and magnificence, mess and muck – the prettiest and most awful sort of fuck.
I never promised you a rose garden this summer.
I only promised you an island.
And every person is their own island.
Especially in the summer.
This section of The Divine Diva Tour: A Fairy’s Tale comes to its saucy close as our first full week of summer begins. Brace yourself for rollercoaster whiplash…
~ The Divine Diva Tour: A Fairy’s Tale ~
Most of The Divine Diva Tour: A Fairy’s Tale was a pose.
A bit of play.
A donning of guises and disguises.
The mask almost always reveals more than it obscures.
Playing with a persona is the safest way to try on a new look, and I promise it won’t get stuck like that.
If you give the merest whisper of an identity, people will often just fill in the rest. Like when you put forth a pixelated or distorted picture – people will bend it and will it into what their minds want it to be.
I’ve always been lazy that way: providing the basic pose and letting others fill in my blanks.
What would you do with these?
~ The Divine Diva Tour: A Fairy’s Tale ~
The Divine Diva Tour: A Fairy’s Tale resumes its online posting schedule, twenty years after appearing in three-ring-binder form, fronted by lavender lace, backed by a rainbow tapestry of ribbons, and accented by a poof of ostrich feathers. Yes, I am using poof as a noun, because when you know the rules you can break them.
This entry begins as a black and white study in gay eroticism, with hints of sadomasochism and an underlying tension of possible bondage – the classic hallmarks of divinity. The photos will speak for themselves – previous divine links further below, in case you get cold-feet scrolling…
~ The Divine Diva Tour: A Fairy’s Tale ~
Our annual posting of this song comes courtesy of its apt title. All glory usually goes to the first day of summer, and its immediately-following first night. The second night usually gets forgotten, and that’s why I have a soft spot for it.
We’ve played this song before, and after almost 50 summers here on earth I realize there are more repeats than new treads at this point. Still, like a good Christmas song that only gets brought out once a year, I love a song that is as timely as it is fleeting. Like summer.
This is a simple Summer Island Mocktail recipe, which can be made into an adult beverage with some coconut rum if you are so inclined. Personally, I prefer the N/A version here, as it’s just as refreshing and doesn’t come with the dehydrating properties of liquor.
Colombian Coconut Limeade
(Limonada de Coco)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 4 limes)
1 can coconut milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups ice
1/2 cup cold water
Blend well together and serve with lime slice and/or mint sprig.
