Kate's Five Things #78
Letting love in.
At the end of 2025, we committed to donating 5% of House Call’s net monthly proceeds to organizations that help people find safety and stability. The donation for May was given to Solid Ground.
Catching Up
My kids have started finding me embarrassing. I think it’s the small talk. The way I’ll ask the people behind us in line where they’re from, or tell a stranger I like their shoes. They’re not wrong to cringe. But I’ve started to think small talk is my way of staying in a room before it gets interesting. I hate small talk. Their opinion of me is not my business. All I can offer is showing up warm.
Here are five things I’ve been letting in lately.
One
Read: Strange Buildings by Uketsu
Murder and mystery, told entirely through floor plans. Hidden rooms, apartments with no exits, structures that make no sense until suddenly they make terrible sense. This is the third book in Uketsu’s series, after Strange Pictures and Strange Houses; I haven’t read either of those, but I still jumped right into this one. If your interests overlap mine at all (architecture, horror, puzzles, the feeling that something is deeply wrong with a building), you will not put it down.
Two
Wear: Butter yellow, cherry red, baby blue
This was my travel outfit yesterday (pictured above), and I felt genuinely good in it. Some combinations are just right.
Shirt is Madewell, bag is Sézane (no longer available), jeans are Jesse Kamm, hat is Salty Dog
Three
Drink: Cacao in your drip coffee
A character in a novel I finished over the winter did this every morning. I finally tried it, and it’s exactly as good as it sounds. Silky and dark and a little bit special. Just add a small spoonful of raw cacao powder to your grounds before brewing. You can also use ground cacao nibs.
Four
Connect: Let your friends see you struggle.
I made a promise to myself this year: When I feel scared or alone, I’ll reach toward someone instead of away. I’ve been doing it, and in small, quiet moments, I can feel a little pull. It’s funny to learn that intuition was never anxiety, and it doesn’t really speak in words but in feeling. It seems to already know which friends don’t make it a competition, and aren’t keeping score—the ones who just show up because they actually like you. It’s real, easy, uncomplicated love, the kind we don’t talk about enough. I think I’d been too afraid to test it. I’m glad I was wrong.
Five
Decorate: Print and frame the Index of American Design.
I came across this tip via Rec League. The Index of American Design was a New Deal project—over a thousand artists, from 1935 to 1942, making meticulous watercolor paintings of American folk and decorative objects. Coverlets, weathervanes, carousel horses, pottery, signs, and more. The National Gallery of Art holds the collection, and much of it is in the public domain, downloadable for free. Search by subject, medium, or artist. Find something that pulls you in and don’t question it!
A few I’d frame immediately:
Carousel Horse, George Constantine, c. 1939
Tyler Coverlet, Arthur G. Merkley, c. 1940
Jar, Yolanda Delasser, c. 1937/1938
Enjoy browsing. Give yourself more time than you think you need.
And in case you missed it…
If you liked this post, check out the latest essay on memory, seasons, and what lives on through the meals we share.
Now Index of American Design is the coolest thing I've come across in awhile. YOU'VE come across. Thx. ❤️ I need more walls...
That is such a great color combo combination! I’m actually planning my color combos right now for a trip to the northeast coast, and already have a muted baby blue and red combination going on, but wanted something other than just plain white to add in. I’m definitely going to try butter yellow!
Also, so cool about the Index of American Design 🖼️ definitely going to check some of these out. Thanks for sharing!!