When Did You Hang the Moon?

Last week, I made a few hats available for purchase here on my blog; a small thing, an “inside baseball” buy for us Magpies. Mr. Magpie wore his hat all week — to school drop off; to pick up steak at the butcher; to weed in the garden. MAGPIE BIRDING CLUB, everywhere he went. I watched him move through his week, doing all the normal things–only it wasn’t normal at all, not to me. There he was, quietly pinning my universe in place.

This morning, a small token of gratitude for his unwavering support: a republishing of this essay asking him when, exactly, he found the time to light up the sky?

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When did you hang the moon?

Was it the day we met, swatting mosquitoes in the crepuscular weight of August in the Midatlantic, the fixed stars hidden in the swollen heat?

Or that time we crossed paths that night at Scott Stadium, the world a dim blur as I floated silently out into galaxies beyond?

I was too busy noticing you, and the way you rolled your oxfords up your forearms, and smiled at me as if in appreciation, and widened your stance when we’d talk, planting yourself for proper conversation, to see that you were also lighting up the universe —

Or maybe they’re the same thing: the details of you as luminous and giving as the stellar sum.

I know only this —

There was that night at the bonfire in the Appalachians, shivering in the October chill, and the Milky Way glittered so close I felt I could reach out and touch its stars. And yet next to you, they appeared the unremarkable beige of a waiting room, and, like everything else, dissolved into white noise and atmospheric clutter. Funny, how love can do that: put everything else on mute. “We were together — I forget the rest.” Etcetera.

That night, you were doing nothing at all. Just standing next to me, taking my hand, loaning me your sweatshirt, making smalltalk with my girlfriends. And I saw that you must have tacked up the moon some time in the months prior, as unassumingly as you now replace the lightbulbs and switch the air filters. Oh, no big deal, you’d have said. Just changing the constellations.

Post-Scripts.

+Do you remember when we used to take our time?

+Van Morrison, young love, and more talk of the moon.

+An easy kind of love.

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Shopping Break.

+New in at Tuckernuck: this great dress. Giving major La Double J vibes. I ended up ordering this striped skirt — so good, so easy!

+REALLY good new arrivals at Gap, too: this linen dress, this gauze set, these barrel gauze pants, this Doen-esque dress, and these shorts for girls.

+Rhone just launched their “Stance line” of athletic wear, which is perfect for tennis, golf, pickleball. I got my hands on this athletic skirt and it’s both highly functional and chic! (And already selling out in certain sizes.) I have this tentatively planned for one of my three Disney days. You can pair with the matching tank or their court-to-course quarter zip for a finished look. I own and LOVE that quarter-zip — it has a great slightly swingy silhouette so it sort of skims over your shorts instead of snagging at the waist / looking fitted at the waist. Really flattering with bike shorts, leggings, etc. While you’re there, how cute is this gingham bra? My code SHOOP20 gets you 20% off.

+Loro Piana…drool. Speaking of LP, I just bought a few items for Mr. Magpie from the European brand Aurelien, which, while not cheap, has major LP energy for much less $$. I’m loving the styled looks like this, and this. European royalty vibes — ha. I especially like their footwear. I bought Mr. Magpie these “yacht loafers,” which look a lot like the styles from Loro Piana and Brunello Cucinelli, but are about half as expensive. (Get the look for even less with these.)

+I have been LOVING everything I’ve tried from Sarah Creal, but especially her undereye concealer (does NOT settle into fine lines — it is magic) and eye cream (slightly tinted so it offers a little bit of color correction); cannot wait to try their new bronzer. This beauty line is specifically formulated for “mature skin.”

+Shopbop sale still going strong! Realized after I compiled this roundup of my picks that the sale also included Agolde Parker shorts — the best. There’s been some debate in the comments here about whether or not denim shorts are a good idea for Disney but these are what I’m planning to wear, with this airy top. The sale also includes one of my favorite sweaters from La Ligne: this stripe! Also available in navy.

+See an everyday outfit look inspired by a few of the items I just mentioned here. Everything up to 25% off!

+I actually used the sale to buy a few things for Mr. Magpie: these classic khakis, this SSBD (he’s literally never owned an SSBD in his life, so we’ll see what he thinks…he always resists a little at first and then tells me later “you’re keeping me fresh”), and two pairs of shorts to pair the SSBD with. (The other pair of shorts are these — which are a little loud but I think will look amazing with a white terry polo or button-down.) Will look so good with his new loafers and his Garrett Leight sunglasses, which I unabashedly bought him because Brad Pitt wore them. Hehe. A little moodboard of my best finds for him here.

+Cute gifts for a little lady: this umbrella, this pouch. Both Target finds!

+I have been wearing this turquoise bracelet in my daily stack for weeks now. So unexpected and so chic! It was just restocked after being out of stock for months. A fabulous piece to work into your daily wardrobe, especially in the summer!

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