Friends, hi! Welcome to another fine Sunday. We are fortunate, indeed.
This week, I’m thrilled to hand the mic to a new voice in our Sunday lineup, though chances are, you already know her. This week’s post is written by my friend, the incredibly talented photographer behind the blog, and my favorite Aquarius: Karlee Sisler Flores.
Karlee is one of the funniest, most grounded, wildly creative people I know. Her eye for beauty is unmatched, and the fact that she’s so low-key about it should honestly be illegal. She has a way of seeing things clearly, feeling deeply, and making you laugh while you’re sorting out the mess of it all. I treasure our 15-minute voice notes about—well—everything: work, love, grief, gardening, God, petty beefs, big dreams. All of it.
I hope you’ll give her a warm welcome to our little Sunday meeting here. And if you’d like to get to know her better (you do), find her on IG, read her essay on marriage advice, follow her Substack, or take a pilgrimage to her FloSo Dirty Soda truck in Salem, Oregon.
Let’s get into it.
xo,
Joy
I know we’ve met before, but this feels like a proper introduction. I’ve always been there though—behind the camera. A few times, I’ve popped into guest posts to yell at you about the sanctity of a summer tomato sandwich or how good cheap ramen can be. But there’s something different about a Sunday post.
It says, “Look at where my mind wanders and the places my thumb scrolls.” It’s a candid glimpse into what I find interesting and, hopefully, you will too. I’ve loved this format since it was called Let it Be Sunday—sneaking curated peeks into how Joy sees her world.
What a gift it is, I think, to be let into someone else’s point of view—especially when it’s different from our own. You’ll find my POV is rich in making the unimportant feel important. My interests are vast and probably confusing to any onlooker. Only in my head can I see the through-line of what catches my eye. I’ll try to walk you through them as best I can, so we aren’t scratching our heads at the inevitable whiplash.
So here we go—take my hand, and let’s cannonball into my very first Sunday Post.
• The third and final season of The Summer I Turned Pretty has kicked off this week. Based on a novel by the YA queen herself, Jenny Han, this book wrecked me. Being a #teamjeremiah girl, I was on the losing end of the love triangle. But why is the trop so good at drawing us in? Elle wrote about the ancient fable of the love triangle. (Amazon, Elle)
• As the proud owner of an unused Bachelor of Arts in History, I’m constantly reading new perspectives on historical characters. The BBC wrote about Queen Elizabeth I and her refusal to get married. Seemingly, even after falling in love with her childhood best friend, Dudley. She stayed in her bedchamber for days after her refusal. She is still known as the Virgin Queen who never married. Not for the successful political strategy behind it. (BBC)
• As a patented, lifelong, home grown Oregonian, Delilah, the nationally syndicated radio show host from the 90’s, is one of our greatest treasures. I remember listening to her in the backseat of my parents’ car, falling asleep to her soothing voice. Thankfully TikTok is making nostalgic videos to some of her clips and I’m falling asleep to it as a grown adult again. After her long run, she quietly retired back in her home of Reedsport, OR and bought a small radio station. This last May she closed its doors. Here’s an article from Radio News about her final sign-off. (TikTok, RadioWorld)
• I’m finding there are years when I don’t age at all, and nights where it looks like I’ve completed a full presidential term. Thirty-nine has taught me to invest deeply in a retinol treatment I actually like. As always, Dr. Dennis Gross has saved the day. (Dr Dennis Gross)
• Nothing beats a summer salad, and Pinch of Yum dropped a crispy smashed potato salad and I intend to make it some point this week. (Instagram, Pinch of Yum)
• Everyone has that one summer recipe they keep going back to. And Joy’s Tomato Pie with Blue Cheese Biscuits is that for me. I like to cook down the tomatoes a bit with the onions and cut the biscuits into square, so they almost cover the whole dish. Too-many-tomatoes-in-the-garden-who? (Joy the Baker)
• If you’re looking to up your summer baking, nothing works better than frangipane. I love this recipe from King Arthur Baking. Use it at the base of your peach pie, smothered inside a croissant, thrown in a blueberry kalash. (King Arthur Baking, Southern Fatty)
• As a gardener, I would like to introduce you to the No Till Method, or sometimes called no-dig gardening. Charles Dowding has been doing it for years and his garden is, as always, home to my anthropomorphic dreams. (Clarles Dowding)
• July is around the time I start to crave a sharply cold fall morning. It’s officially a Code Orange at HomeGoods, TJ max etc. and I’ve already bought a ghost doormat, pumpkin mugs, and a Halloween throw pillow. (TikTok)
