Plowman's Lunch: Fourth of July Edition
Freedom; reading, observing, and eating into a long weekend.
I love the Fourth of July. It encapsulates so many things I love. America’s birthday. The first official holiday of summer. Stars and stripes; red, white, and blue. It’s fitting we’re spending the holiday in New Hampshire, a state whose motto pulls no punches: “Live free or die.”
In July 1940. E.B. White wrote an essay in Harper’s Magazine titled “Freedom1.” Rather than trying to impress you with my own prose, I’ll just crib from his:
The least a man can do at such a time is declare himself and tell where he stands. I believe in freedom with the same burning desire, the same faith, the same intense abandon that attended it’s birth on this continent no more than a century and a half ago.
[…]
Intuitively I’ve always been aware of the vitally important pact that a man has with himself, to be all things to himself, and to be identified with all things, to stand self-reliant, taking advantage of his haphazard connection with a planet, riding his luck, and following his bent with the tenacity of a hound. My first and greatest love affair was with this thing we call freedom, this lady of infinite allure, this dangerous and beautiful and sublime being who restores and supplies us all.
Good words to keep in mind as you celebrate this weekend. Keep chasing the dangerous and beautiful and sublime
As is becoming custom, we’ll lead into the holiday with a plowman’s lunch. In addition to screenshots, I’m mixing in some photos from my own camera roll, ones evocative of the summer feeling. I’ll also — as I did in the early CWD dispatches — share some links to things I’ve enjoyed recently.
However you’re celebrating this weekend, do it responsibly. Fly the flag, have a hamburger, eat some popsicles. We’ll see you here next week with our usual programming.
READING
A Guide to Downeast Maine, but Acadia. This makes me believe we might need to branch out for our next trip to Vacationland2. [
]Jack Dorsey, The Presidential Race, & My Dog — well, not my dog, but
’s. A good reminder to get off your phone, get outside, and touch some dirt. Make sure you bring your kids. []On Cars and Character and why the things that make anything special are the things that make them your own. [
]The Art of Subtlety, in which
reminds us that the best things are the ones that announce themselves slowly — whether it be clothes, writing, or hotel lobbies. []Whatever Happened to Eating Local, a question I think about all the time. This one pondered over asparagus and strawberries. [
]Life Through Windows, which are nice to look through, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get out of the car every once and awhile. This pairs nicely with Lawson’s article earlier. [
]The Cure for Recreational Anxiety, which is what you get when you try to do too much of the above. [
]
OBSERVING
EATING
The entire essay can be found in One Man’s Meat, a collection of White essays. Unfortunately, I can’t find any version of “Freedom” readily available online, so you’ll need to buy the book. It’s worth it, though.
A nickname which, by the way, E.B. White — the poet laureate of Maine — abhorred.
My "to read" list grows faster than I can get through it... but I suppose that's a good thing. Thanks for sharing. I've never been a baseball fan, but the "swing the bat and pray" philosophy is awesome.
Loved discovering this newsletter! Such an eclectic mix of picks (major appreciation for citing 'Tabled') with terrific photos!