twinkle lights, tin fish, & notes on creating a summer observatory
a guide to trading the suffocating triple digits for a technicolor, lofi sanctuary of my own.
I cannot romanticize August, no matter how hard I try. It’s not in me. While I appreciate her for the abundance she brings and the beautiful, tangerine light she casts, August and I have a complex relationship. She thinks I should endure, and I feel she is trying to kill me.
Every year, I forget how hot August actually gets. I don’t know if it’s a biological survival mechanism, but I block it out completely. I am always hopeful. Every year, I tell myself, “Hopefully it’s not that bad this year. You never know.” But hoping is for fools when you spend your summers in Texas. Even though my brain blocks the memory of the heat, my body remembers. By mid-July, a primal, subconscious panic sets in. I see the Target ad for school supplies, and my heart skips a beat. My body knows before my mind does: August is coming.
The heat here isn’t just a temperature; it’s a dense, suffocating cloud that settles on your chest the second you step outside. When you walk through it, you can feel it pushing back against you. It has its own physical force.
If august insists on slowing us down, maybe we should let it. Since I can’t change the weather, I’ve decided to change the terrain. Instead of waiting for September to start living again, I’ve started paying attention to the places where August keeps sending me. If the outside world is going to force me into an aggressive hibernation, I am going to make that hibernation beautiful. This is how I stop merely enduring the Texas heat, and how I start curating a cool, softly lit, magical world of my own inside my home.
Creating my Summer Observatory
August is what happens when sunlight overstays its welcome. It’s such a different feeling from July. July invites you outside with open arms, but August asks you to retreat indoors and watch the world glow from the safety of your window.
In order for me to survive the month and conserve energy, my blinds stay shut. I only open them for small, intentional windows of time, just long enough to catch the sunrise or sunset. Beyond those brief moments, the house is dark. But I refuse to live in a gloomy cave, so I create ambiance for myself.
Instead of natural light, I lean heavily into a world of curated, technicolor illumination. Rather than sticking to standard bulbs, I use light to completely paint over the darkness. It starts in my office, where a neon cat sign I bought 4 years ago at Target still glows. I never put it away, and during August, its intense, electric purple single-handedly transforms my office into a magical, late-night lofi oasis.
In my living room, an IKEA FABO lamp pairs with a Govee floor lamp dialed into soft, amber hues (I know the image shows otherwise, but my living room is painted in coral color, so that is the effect the light creates). But because they are smart bulbs, the pallet is entirely fluid. I treat the walls like a canvas, shifting from sunset oranges to moody cinematic colors depending on the vibe.
Above the archway, my Coraline dragonfly string lights finally get their moment to shine. I originally brought them out in the spring to add some whimsy, but now that the blinds are closed all day, they can finally fulfill their true potential.
If a room ever needs an extra layer of comfort. I move my constellation projector out of the bedroom, where it usually soothes me to sleep, and let it cast stars across a different ceiling. I even swapped out my candles for incense; when it’s this hot, burning wax feels counterproductive.
It is all about reclaiming the dark. In fact, I am currently hunting for the final piece of my summer observatory: the IKEA Blimp pendent lamp designed by Tatsuo Konno in the late 90’. I had one as a teenager, and though I recently lost a frustrating bidding war on eBay, the search continues. She is a beautiful, space-age piece of nostalgia, and exactly the kind of light that would tie my entire summer observatory together.
The Triple-Digit Shower Ritual
When stepping outside feels like stepping into an oven, the shower becomes a sensory reset button rather than just a hygiene routine. These are my to-go products that make my showers the most rewarding experience of August.
Body Scrubs & Exfoliators
Ocean Salt: A refreshing blend of coconut oil and avocado oil brightened with grapefruit and lime tones.
Rub Rub Rub: A gorgeous, floral escape featuring the scent of mimosa, jasmine and orange flower. I buy this one, every year and I cannot get enough.
Magic Crystals: An absolute feast for the eyes. It is the most beautiful, vibrant magenta color I have seen a Lush scrub ever have, packed with refreshing mint oils and fresh sage infusion.
Shower Gels
Dirty Springwash: An invigorating burst of refreshing spearmint and menthol crystals. I am completely obsessed, I have already bought two this summer.
Intergalactic: A minty mood-booster that delivers the most refreshing shower experience ever. This one is my favorite. I’m on my third bottle.
Sleepy: A classic, soothing, lavender scented shower gel. Perfect to help calm your mind at the end of a long, hot day.
If you take anything with you from this journal, I hope is this. Treat yourself to a sensory shower.
p.s. take your showers in the dark, a complete game changer.
Heatwave Fuel: Tin Fish, Salads & a Baking Tradition.
When it comes to the kitchen, my August philosophy is simple: use the stove as little as possible. Emphasis on try. If I find a recipe that is truly worth the hassle, I will cook it. But for the most part, my survival relies on a rotation of crisp salads, sandwiches, and premium tinned fish.
My absolute favorites are Fishwifes’s smoked mackerel and tinned octopus from Spain. Because of economic tariffs it nearly impossible to get my hands on that Spanish octopus, at least, that’s what Central Market told me. It’s a major tragedy for my summer pantry, so I treasure what I can find. On the days I want treat myself, I build a board around Spanish chorizo.
My favorite meal this summer is highly specific. I take a kettle chip, smear some smashed avocado right on top of it, and then I add a little mackerel and some cilantro or dill, depending on what I'm craving. I top it with a little chili crisp and a squeeze of lemon, and that’s it. Super low effort. I could easily eat this every single day, but because premium fish is a luxury, I have to pace myself.
When I want something fresh and simple, I turn to my year-round staple: a bright fennel salad. It is a perfect dish in my opinion for hot summer days. It has arugula and thinly shaved fennel tossed in a zesty mustard-orange dressing, topped with red pickled onions and toasted pumpkin seeds for an incredible crunch. It’s light, vibrant, and requires absolutely zero heat. (I placed the hyperlink to this recipe on the image).
Despite my best efforts to not use the stove, every August I love to bake a Key Lime Pie. It has become a tradition at this point. This year I’m thinking of trying a new combination with blackberries. I’m not sure if I will incorporate it into the filling or maybe just do a blackberry compote on the side. We will see.
Playlists for August
I have two playlists for you. Music is such an essential part of how I survive August, so I curated these playlists to get me into a good headspace in case the humidity gets to be too much. Hopefully, they do the same for you. Summer Heatwave has a soulful indie-pop vibe, while Golden Hour Traffic Jam has a sultry, cinematic indie-rock mood.
Let me know what you think and if you would like more recommendations. Here is my article, to the BEST lofi mixes for a slow morning. Trust me, I live by this music.
August Media Escapism
Something new, something old. Some of the stuff I am excited to watch this month:
📺 My Brilliant Career - August 13th
This series definitely looks like it belongs in August. It’s based on the Australian novel of the same name and it fallows a young girl who is determined to become a writer instead of conforming to the life her family and society expects from her.
🍿 Lady - August 14th:
I love Sian Clifford, that alone is reason enough for me to watch it. The Guardian called it “Outrages… like Saltburn on shrooms” which completely sold me. 😂
🍿Filipiñana – August 28th:
It fallows a 17-year-old teen girl who works at an elite country club, who uncovers dark, violent truths beneath the resort’s pristine turf. Visually, it looks like it has a cinematic color palette similar to a Wes Anderson film. So I’m excited to watch it.
What I’m watching:
📺 Drops of God:
I AM OBSSESED, I love this show. The first season is about a fierce inheritance battle between a wine protégée and the biological daughter of a master wine collector. I don’t want to give away to much, but it is worth giving it a try. My friend didn’t like it because the characters speak in Japanese and French most of the time, but I love using subtitles, so its wasn’t a big deal to me.
If you need more sun-drenched vibes, check out last weeks post.
I hope your August is easy and kind. I will be going into my hibernation.
See you in September.
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August in Texas is not for the faint of heart. Love your ways of handling the oven-like heat. May you stay cool for the remainder of summer.