The morning that could never be

I'm not really a bath kind of girl, or a morning kind of girl, for that matter, but maybe I would be if this was my bathroom.

House Beautiful via Desire to Inspire

My "Love Wins" print would be perfect in this room.

Love Wins by Jonathan Capuano, honoring same-sex marriage

I'd have clever speakers installed in the ceiling, so subtle they're barely noticeable. But the soothing sounds of Morning Edition calmly enlightening my day? That I would notice.

Polk Audio Ceiling Speakers, Amazon

Starting the day in this kind of bathroom feels like it would be full of clarity, sound decisions, and gung ho-ness. Maybe I'd find time to eat breakfast and read the paper before leaving, rather than on the go. Maybe I'd be well-put-together when I arrived at work. Maybe I'd even arrive at work on time.

Hmmm.

See, in the real world, I inevitably wake up late and in desperate need of coffee. There's no time to make a great breakfast. I don't remember the last time I used my hair dryer. And I get my NPR through my circa 1996 clock radio in the next room, blaring at full volume, because it seems to be the only room or radio in our apartment that can actually pick up the local station signal.

And my bathtub?

It's been used once in two years, and is currently a repository of randomness: clothes that were resting on the edge and then pushed in by our cats, a couple of magazines, some quintessential pieces from my trashy lingerie shower, Kate's wedding invitation (I never throw away letterpress)... you know, the usual. And I hate baths, to be honest. They take too long, and I get too hot.

But if I could have that red bathtub anyway, just to look at and make me happy, and I promised to be adult enough not to fill it with junk, could I have it then?

No, still not adult enough?

Okay, fine.

Beating the heat

Here in Dallas, July is an interminable season of oppressive heat. Scratch that: the weather outside is insufferable, but since this city (along with much of the South - I'm looking at you, Atlanta) would cease to exist without air conditioning, one doesn't actually have to encounter the heat if they don't care to. Today, for example? A stifling 103 degrees. But it's a chilly 65 for those who travel from their apartment to their parking garage to their car to their office parking garage to their office! I digress. For those of us who choose to, sigh... engage with their community and all the unpleasantness that comes with it, I offer my Beat the Heat guide:

First up, what to wear? Pare down to the basics. You look silly covering up in this heat, really. I'm voting for this no-fuss, vintage-inspired dress from Anthropologie in seasonal tomato red, perfect for A) strolling around the farmer's market, or B) seeking refuge on a happy hour patio.

All Trades Dress, Anthropologie

Let's imagine that you chose A) Strolling around the farmer's market. It simply doesn't get any better than the summer harvest, and there's no better season to commit to eating locally and seasonally. (Not sure where your local farmer's market is? Search here.) Everywhere you look, stands are bursting with the most delicious offerings of the year, and what's great about summer produce is that it doesn't take a lot of effort to make really yummy, beat-the-heat dishes. Take yesterday's salad, for example: it perfectly embodies what summer food is all about - nothing required but fresh, cool, crisp vegetables. And no need to turn on that blazing hot stove, either.

Tomato, Corn, Cucumber, and Feta Salad - Cookthink
(Not a fan of raw tomatoes, like my silly life partner? Substitute crunchy red bell peppers instead.)

Now what if you chose B) Shady happy hour patio? Well, then. I present my booze of choice, which happens to pair perfectly with summer onslaught and is described as "a most iconoclastic experience." Really. I'm talking about Hendrick's Gin. So delightful on so many levels. It's cucumber-infused and will do anything you want it to do. Also, as a sucker for good design, you must go and admire the website and packaging. I'll just let Hendrick's' Suitable Summer Remedies page do the talking: "Very few things pair better with a long balmy afternoon of lazing about the cucumber patch, performing acrobatics in the rumpus room, or playing croquet in the park than a sparkling, cool Hendrick's and Tonic garnished with a cucumber slice." Indeed.

Hendrick's Gin

After all that shopping or socializing, you'll no doubt need to wind down with the literary version of a summer spell. My all-time favorite summer novel is one I reread every year about this time, from a woman who can simply do no wrong: Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. It's a novel that makes me feel small and humbled and more alive than before. Those are all good things, I think. It sings with green summer and the life all around us like no other book I know.

Prodigal Summer, Barbara Kingsolver

Stay cool, everyone! What are your Beat the Heat standbys?

Welcome

Thanks for stopping by my new digs!

Who's The Freckled Citizen, you ask? Why, that's me! I'm a mess of contradictions, and I like it that way. I try to live life to the fullest, and yes, with a conscience. So I'll do both here on my new little home on the Web, if you don't mind. (Don't worry, it's going to be fun.)

Let's take a look around: To figure out who I am and where I've been, check out About Me. Visit Links regularly, as I plan on keeping the list as whimsical as my moods, from News Me to Amuse Me. Over on the left, we have your standard bloggery, including links to my two most recent online hangouts: Eat, Drink, Marry and m-pyre. On the right, expect an ever-changing lineup of what I'm cooking, reading, and wanting. I've started updating my delicious page with all manner of links, and I'll update the clickable photos to reflect that. The current food photo will take you to my latest cooking links, for example.

From Le Creuset to Le Corbusier... my weird interests are about to be splashed all over the place here. Stay tuned... and come back soon!

PS: Warm round of applause for Penny Lane Designs for my blog design. I said "vintage label-inspired" and she made it happen!