This roundup is coming to y’all from Weeki Wachee, where I’m spending the long weekend with a friend. If you’re not familiar, Weeki Wachee is a Florida state park where women have been performing as live mermaids in an underwater theater since 1947. Yes, really. And yes, we’re going to see them.
We’ve rented a place on the Crystal River – gin-clear water, cypress trees, manatees, kayaks, a firepit, and a porch swing. I queued this roundup before I left because I wasn’t going to spend my mermaid weekend writing a blog post. Priorities.
See y’all when I get back.
- Cinco de Mayo week on the blog. Sunday’s deep-dive on what Cinco de Mayo actually is and why I still cook Tex-Mex on May 5th. Tuesday’s enchiladas (Zach calls them “those chile enchilada things”). Texas style margarita mix for when you want to do them right at your next party. A whole week of being honest about American food traditions and the holidays we built around them.
- Still loving every Artemis II photo and video. The mission wrapped earlier this month (launched April 1, splashed down April 10), and NASA has been steadily releasing crew images and footage ever since and the latest batch came out just this past week. I keep going back to the Earthset photo. It’s not the iconic Apollo 8 Earthrise; it’s its quiet, melancholy cousin. Earth slipping away behind the moon. We don’t get to see ourselves like that very often.
- Garden update: All the seedlings have been hardened off and planted, the paths are mulched, the watering system has been updated. Now it’s just a matter of letting things grow. After all the planning and the seed orders and the late freezes and the false starts, this is the part of the gardening year I love most: the part where I’m not in charge anymore. The plants take it from here.
- What I’m Reading: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. A very odd book about an internet influencer “trad wife” type who wakes up one morning and finds herself in the past, actually living an 1850s life. Her whole influencer shtick was backed up by a team of nannies, producers, farm hands, etc., and when she’s dropped into the actual reality of being a farm-wife, she has no idea how to handle it. Plus a twist ending. As I was reading it I felt like I recognized several of the influencers and bloggers who clearly fed the story. I’m honestly not sure I liked the book, but it was an interesting read, and the satire of the trad-wife industrial complex is sharp.
- What I’m Watching: We just finished season 2 of The Pitt. Different energy from the first season but still fantastic. I can’t wait for season 3. We also went to see Project Hail Mary in the theater and it was a fun ride. Ryan Gosling carried the whole thing. Amaze. Amaze. Amaze.
- What I’m Eating: Probably a lot of seafood. The Gulf coast is the Gulf coast and I intend to take full advantage. Details when I return.
What are y’all reading/watching/cooking/dealing with this week? Let me know in the comments. I’ll be reading them poolside with a drink that does not contain tequila.
P.S. If you’ve never been to Weeki Wachee, put it on your list. The mermaids have been doing this for almost 80 years. There’s something about the unbroken thread of women holding their breath underwater while wearing sequined tails that feels both deeply silly and deeply fascinating. I’ll have more to say when I’m back.
P.P.S. If money were no object, I would eat seafood every day. Crab, lobster, mussels, clams, oysters, give me all of it. The Gulf coast is a four-day audition for the life I would lead if I were independently wealthy. Zach is bracing for the credit card bill.
P.P.P.S. The Marg mix recipe is for party quantities, but the ratios hold true even if you’re just making one or two drinks. 1-1/2 parts lime juice, 1 part orange juice, 1/2 to 1 part simple syrup (to taste). Add tequila, pour over ice. Salted glass rim optional.