Issue 19
Bye bye summer, Deathholes™, Kate Atkinson, Phoebe Anna Traquair, and the Night Watch
I have been working on this issue for months, it has probably gotten more daunting the longer I have thought about it. Another summer has concluded and the rain is hopefully going to begin again. I 100% let the summer get the best of me, other than a couple weeks in Scotland I have mostly been in hibernation. I was struggling about how I would write about my first trip to the UK (specifically Scotland, my favorite place in the world) with all of my limitations, how difficult it was, and how I was processing it. At the moment, I will say that the trip was much more emotionally difficult than I thought it would be and I have spent the last month “giving up the ghost” on something that has always filled me with joy. Maybe I will figure out a way to talk about it, but I don’t seem ready to put it into words yet. It was wonderful to spend quality time with some of the people I love most in this world, no matter how EXTREMELY able-bodied they all are (“zany face” emoji).
Also - I have been finding it especially hard to talk about my trip since travel, specifically international travel, has always been such a privilege and I know most people are unable to do it. It feels much more of an expectation and lifestyle in the bubble that I live in, so there is a lot to unpack in writing about it. I can’t help feeling as though I am going to come across tone-deaf or ungrateful when I start writing about international travel, chronic illness, disabilities, and invisible disabilities.
The best part of the trip was when my 6 year old niece (my perfect angel baby) informed us all of the existence of Deathholes™ - I am going to make the assumption that it is one word. Deathholes™ were introduced the to the family with the joke, “how did the chicken cross the Deathhole™?” the answer was silence, a faraway look followed by “it didn’t.” According to H, Deathholes™ are in the middle of a field of grass and you can easily fall into it. Once you fall in, you fall through alternative layers of liquid cow poop, dry cow poop, and pickle juice until you hit the bottom. Once at the bottom, there will be a ladder that you can climb, but once you get to the top you just slide right back down. BUT! All is not lost- there is a key mold that you fill with cow poop, wait till it dries, and then use it to unlock a door to a magical forrest. If this isn’t the greatest analogy for life you have ever heard - your life has probably been too easy. She is a philosophical genius.
Over the summer I hit over 100 subscribers! Mostly due to my friend Reda at Only Murders in the Inbox- I think I am riding on her coattails. Reda just started another substack on long covid.
At the moment I am waiting for my cow shit key to dry, so while it dries I am going to try really hard to write another issue in the next couple weeks- maybe it will even make it dry faster. I hope you all had a lovely summer and avoided any Deathholes™.
Love,
Naomi
currently reading
Kate Atkinson kick has dominated my summer reading - especially after reading Life After Life and A God in Ruins. I read the third Jackson Brodie (detective series by Atkinson) book - When Will There be Good News? - when I was in Edinburgh, since it takes place in Edinburgh . I just finished the fourth Jackson Brodie, which is also the best titled book in the history of book titles - Started Early, Took my Dog - I dare you to come up with a better title, it is from an Emily Dickinson poem. Atkinson’s mysteries are more literary than mystery and are more character driven than plot driven. Steven King called the first Jackson Brodie novel, Case Histories, “The best mystery of the decade”- and I totally agree and would have to say that is some high praise. I am also almost finished with Shrines of Gaiety. This is the first time since I was in high school where I read so many books by one writer consecutively, besides Romance novels.
A God in Ruins has been my favorite book I have read this year and I think it will be very hard to beat. It does have a number of themes that I have find the most intriguing such as military history, the impact war has on the lives of veterans and their families, family dynamics, a life not meant to be lived, and family secrets. Teddy, the central character, is one of the most likable, maybe even most lovable fictional characters. I think about him and his sister Ursula (from Life After Life) all the time. I have been doing a deep dive into the context of this book and I am excited to write about it for my next issue.
something short to read/watch/listen to
The fourth and final season of Slow Horses has been released on Apple, I highly recommend. Gary Oldman is genius.
This episode of the Endless Honeymoon podcast is extremely funny- it is an interview with comedian Maria Bamford and her husband Scott Marvel. I might start listening to it regularly. At the end they discuss when people share their predictions during a film - which I hate and they totally nail why it’s so annoying.
The Booker Longlist was Announced last month. I have yet to read any of them, but I am looking forward to a few of them. I have had the Claire Messed (I love a good family saga) ordered from the library for months, I had purchased the Sarah Perry in Inverness impulsively. I would also really like to read The Safekeep.
The online exhibit - The Needle’s I: Stitching Identity at the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library in Delaware is an interesting exhibit on historical needlework and self expression.
I love a creative writing prompt, even though I never use them and I am usually unimpressed. Rebecca Makkai has come across some really great ones. They are very amusing scenarios to peruse even if you are not a writer.
I have been listening to backlist episodes of Decoder Ring. I get such a thrill from being introduced to new subcultures - the one that I found the most intriguing is the group of people who believe in the Sherlock Holme’s The Johnlock Conspiracy- the conspiracy that Sherlock and Watson are actually in love with each other, and the intense focus on the BBC production with Benedict Cumberbatch. 21st century Fandoms are wild things - especially around fictional characters.
This little video featuring Maude Smith and her home is very fun - I am a big fan of crafts and the maximalist aesthetic. She is very influenced by Vanessa Bell (Bloomsbury group) and William Morris.
I am most looking forward to Somebody Somewhere’s third and final season, starting on HBO on October 27. I don’t know many people who watch this show - I really wish more people would - it is my favorite show. It is hilarious, well written, human, and full of kindness. Below is the trailer for the first season.
some visual enrichment
Phoebe Anna Traquair (1852 - 1936) did an entire series of four silk EMBROIDERED canvas panels titled “The Progress of a Soul”, each panel measuring 71”x 27” (180.67 x 71.20 cm). I just love them.
The Rijks museum posted how Rembrandt’s The Night Watch has been displayed over the past 150 years. It is amazing to see the transformation of the painting with the improvement of conservatorship.
📷 Night Watch Gallery seen from the northeast, 1885 - 1900
📷 Arrangement of the Night Watch in the Night Watch Gallery between 1926 and 1939
📷 Night Watch Gallery seen from the Gallery of Honour, with four observing visitors in front, 1984
📷 Gallery of Honour with a view of the Night Watch, 2013
📷 Night Watch Gallery, 2024
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Deathholes = best thing ever!!!
Now I’ve really got to read/listen to Case Histories!
I’m so glad you could go on the trip; worrying about being tone deaf and knowing it’s a privilege to travel means you are a kind and sensitive person who gets it. I wish I could have gone with you! If and when I get better, we’re all going to come visit you on a NW trip.
Thanks for the love ❤️ your newsletter is the best, the art always moves me.
Thanks for sharing. Always nice to hear your reflections on life.