Probably This Week: The Grass Is Greener & My Hand Caught on Fire & A New Tattoo

Issue 333 | June 25 2025

Press play below for Beau’s narration of this post

I watched a grasshopper outrun my lawn mower, giving it space to successfully make its way from the center of the meadow to the forest line safely. Each time I got too close with the mower, I’d pause to let it do one more hop before continuing on. Eventually, its final hurdle landed it into a thicket of pine saplings, a safe haven for it to continue the day.

We used to let the meadow grow long and tall, which accommodated more bug life, but now that we have the rental property, I keep it mowed down to mitigate the threat of snakes and ticks. It looks nicer, too, but it’s a lot of work.

I’ve officially been dubbed the groundskeeper of Benwood. Mostly it’s kind of mundane work—like mowing—which I don’t mind and can kind of meditate during. But some of the work is a little more exciting. Trips to the nursery in town to pick out new plantings, drawing up plans for landscaping future walkways and additional rentals, and getting to spend my day outside as part of my “job” are the highlights.

Eastern Tennessee has had pretty much nonstop rain for the last three weeks, and so everyone’s lawns are a bit overgrown. And the grass? It’s so green. It is so much greener than last summer. Every home I pass looks like the lawn has been painted with neon shades of green that look fake.

Green is the definitive color of this place. Everything is so lush and abundant.

Abundant.

Today is the new moon, astrologically considered an excellent time for setting intentions and the metaphorical planting of seeds. It’s in the nurturing sign of cancer, no less. It’s a good time to be thinking in terms of abundance. To be thinking of “yes, and” — to be thinking about what life would look like if all of your concerns worked out in your favor. The new moon might be offering assistance here, but even if not, summer is a fertile time for life and possibility.

Maybe you’ve noticed I’ve started sharing bits of astrology in the weekly emails? It’s something I’ve always kept up with. I remember reading my horoscope daily in the newspaper as a kid. When I was 18 I even got a slightly too large tattoo representing my sun sign, pisces, on my back. It always felt nice to think that maybe there was some unseen cause for everything around us.

Speaking of tattoos—I got a new one for the first time in ten years this week! An anchovy!

A very dear friend of mine has wanted an anchovy tattoo for a long while, and we got to talking about getting them together and she made the appointment and I showed up and now there’s a tiny little fish on my forearm, and a tiny little fish on her bicep.

I’ve never gotten a matching tattoo with someone before—that always felt kind of intense—but this just felt right. She and I have been friends for a decade and this year have helped each other process some very big feelings and getting something to represent that period of growth felt appropriate. Beautiful, even.

And we both love anchovies, so there’s that.

:)

Speaking of permanent scarring: my hand caught on fire! I was lifting a pot filled with boiling water and buccatini and did something so incredibly stupid I am still questioning where my head was at. I’d left the burner on high, so flames were licking up the side of the pot as I shifted it to the side to pick it up.

I guess I had some grease or oil residue on my right hand from the other food prep I was doing because the second my fingers kissed the flames my hand literally caught on fire. A fireball, silence from me, a gasp from dinner guests. It only lasted a few seconds, but by the time I’d gotten it underwater, I could tell it was going to be kind of gnarly. And I was right!

I woke up with huge blisters on my hand that are too disgusting to share here. I’ve been taking care of the wound and doing all the things you’re supposed to do but man I feels so so dumb. So this is my PSA: do not catch your hand on fire this week! It is no fun!

click through the image to read my latest from “Tidbits”

More below, as always.

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More for you

Probably Reading | This is literally an advertorial but I like it: How To Dress Like You Belong in the Hamptons (via The Cut). And also, Matt’s talking slow lifting in Issue 24 of Lift Clique!

Probably Listening | This week, I got pretty into Billie Marten’s new album, Clover. My favorite track is Leap Year. It’s a sweet, drifting, whistful summer moment.

Probably This Picks |  I talked about it in yesterday’s substack, but here’s my current favorite supplement that I’ve been loving for the past six months because it makes my muscles feel good and has boosted my mood!

See you next week.

xoxo

Beau