Porch Journal: The Conservatory Question (and Other Small Treasures)

Sweetpeas on the desk, chili on the stove, and why I might be renaming my office space

Hello dear reader,

Summer is blooming and life has been full this week. I’m so glad you’re here - pull up a chair.

Welcome to the ‘Porch Journal’, a short-letter series where I share small reflections and behind-the-scenes thoughts on living a smaller, simpler, more beautiful life. These are quick, easy reads, about a minute or two - just enough for a mid-morning coffee break.

Today I’m sharing a few of my recent Cottage Glimpses. These are photo-forward and behind-the-scenes details from our historic 1924 Craftsman bungalow in the northern Arizona high-country. We call it Juniper Hill Cottage.

Garden Bouquets and My Writing Space

The view from my desk ☝🏼

While I have a very small office space - really it’s just a corner of the garden room in the main house - I’m fortunate to be able to enjoy views and natural light. The room has windows and glass doors on literally every wall, plus 3 very large skylights.

I’ve started calling it the “conservatory” just for fun. What do you think? Does it qualify?

And often, Nellie the cat takes up residence in my in-box to keep me company. She’s a loud snorer, so that’s always interesting when I’m trying to record my voice-overs for videos. Have you heard that in the background?

Most weeks I like to cut something from the gardens to bring in. Recently, it’s been lush, highly scented sweetpeas, snapdragons, angelica, and icelandic poppies.

What a treat!

If you've ever felt like you can't really settle into your creative work because your space doesn't feel like yours yet - even naming it something ridiculous or adding a small touch of beauty might be the first step. Claiming a space, however small, changes how you use it.

Chili Verde con Cerdo Time

Three (or was it four?) hours in the kitchen prepping the chili - I made a little video of the whole production, condensed into eighty seconds.

Our youngest daughter and her fiancé came for the weekend a few days ago from Utah. So last week’s project was a big pot of southwestern goodness. Ibis supervised. Michael wandered through. The summer evening light was perfect.

And after all that, it still had two more hours to braise.

Then I let it cool, packaged it up for the freezer, and planned the rest of the menu…

• Cucumber & Lime Aqua Fresca cocktails

• Homemade Guacamole with Corn Tortilla Chips for the table

• Elote Spiced Nut Mix

• Chili Verde served with lots of fresh lime, cilantro, finely chopped red onion, and sour cream - served on my daughter’s hand decorated chili pepper dish (of course)

• Fresh, warm Corn Tortillas

• Homemade Pistachio Ice Cream with White Chocolate Sauce and fresh ground Pistachio

I served our treats in these vintage green glass ice cream dishes, that I’ve had for ages and always get a kick out of using.

It was a magical afternoon and evening on a warm summer evening in the garden.

Herbs as Bouquets

A little bundle of garden rue (Ruta graveolens) from the courtyard kitchen garden, brought inside for the week.

Rue has a long history as both a medicinal and symbolic herb, though these days it’s mostly grown by people who enjoy slightly unusual old cottage garden plants.

Which, apparently, includes me.

I love the soft blue-green foliage and airy flowers - especially tucked into a simple bottle-vase on the windowsill.

That vase is another vintage glass item - that fits perfectly on the tiny little ledge that runs along the north wall of the garden room/conservatory.

The wood items - a martini glass, clock, and picture frame - were all made by my father.

In the frame I’ve placed a small piece of a reproduction William Morris wallpaper, designed and used widely at the early turn of the 20th century, when this cottage was built.

If your home feels like it's missing something but you can't quite name what - it's often this: the objects with actual history and meaning, displayed intentionally rather than just stored. You don't need more things. You need to pay attention to the things you already have. Even editing down the volume of things to the very few that truly matter and making them part of the story and space.

The Tiny Bookcase Tour

I began doing short notes on Substack sharing my Tiny Bookcase a few weeks ago. Here’s a few in case you aren’t seeing those.

A small corner of one of my small bookcases (I only have two).

Looking at someone’s books tells you a lot about the owner.

Me? Apparently a deep commitment to good food and wandering around outside.

Also: yes, William Morris wallpaper lining the back, because I can’t seem to resist a good design detail.

Another corner seems to suggest that I spend my time thinking about old bungalows, weather patterns, herbs, and essential oils.

Also, there’s a tiny antique Swedish sugar jar that I’ve loved for years - the delicate lily-of-the-valley like blooms and the shape. No sugar in there these days, but it’s a safe place to put my wedding ring when I head out into the garden.

And finally, garden books, garden design books, books about Arizona plants, books about tea gardens, books about outdoor living, more plant books, and The Heirloom Gardener by John Forti (love that book and the author).

The pattern so far: I like plants and gardens. I bet you’re not surprised!

What would your bookshelves reveal about you?

If your book shelves (or your surfaces, or your windowsills) feel chaotic or random, that's worth paying attention to. The small corners of your home are telling a story whether you've curated them or not. You get to decide what that story is.

Something I want you to know.

Everything I share in these letters - the garden cuttings, the objects with history, the meals made for people I love, the small corners of this old bungalow - it all connects to something I’m building for you.

If you’re someone who wants your home and garden to feel genuinely beautiful and intentional, but you’re not sure where to start or what’s actually worth your time and attention - that’s exactly the problem I’m working on solving.

🌼I’m developing structured resources, frameworks, and eventually experiences built specifically around smaller, simpler, more beautiful living.🌼

You’ll hear about them here first.

Stay close, my friend.

Thank you for joining me here this month.

And, if you’re new here - I’m thrilled to have you.

There’s always more happening over on my Substack Notes - garden glimpses, quick ideas and small moments. I’d love to see you over there if you have the app.

I’ll see you again next Friday, my friends.

With contentment & possibility,

P.S. Questions for you this week: Does your workspace have a name? Should mine officially become the conservatory? Yes - tell me what you really think.

What’s in your kitchen this summer - are you a chili person, or strictly a warm-weather-light-food person?

And most importantly: what would your bookshelves reveal about you? I have a feeling this one has some interesting answers.

Use the comment button below and come find me on the Substack App - I'd love to hear your answers.