Patricia Lee (patriciaxlee.eth)

Can you guess who today's special delivery is from without looking in the comments first?

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Several years ago, I sketched an idea for a space by the ocean, something I imagined building later in life during my coastal grandma era. I set it aside and tried to forget about it. But recently the pieces aligned in a way I couldn’t ignore, and now I’m making it real. It’ll be a little spot on the coast off Highway 1, not far from SFO. In many ways, this project is a physical container of my heart and soul. I’ve found myself gravitating to Farcaster while shaping this idea, quietly inspired by the creativity and positivity here more than anywhere else online. I like: coffee/tea chats, surfing, trails, design, learning how things work (catch me at the factory tour), travel (husband’s a commercial airline pilot—feel free to send your flight q’s), and playing music. I’ve been lurking a while and finally posting. Big thanks to @linda for being so welcoming. It was the extra push I needed. Grateful for this community and looking forward to being more active. I think I like it here 👉👈

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This purple crystal ball at an antique shop caught my eye today. The owner said everyone asks to buy it, but it’s not for sale. She’s owned this crystal ball for over 30 years. In addition to her own sentimental attachment to it, her children have requested it to be left to them in her will. When she first acquired it, this ball was completely clear in color. It slowly turned purple over time through exposure to the sun. Of course, hearing this sent me down a purple crystal ball rabbit hole. The fact that it turned from clear to purple is an indication that it’s not crystal but manganese-doped glass. In the late 19th and early 20th century, glassmakers often added manganese dioxide to glass as a decolorizer to make it look clear. Over time, UV light from the sun causes the manganese to undergo a photochemical reaction. This effect is sometimes called “sun-purpled” glass or “solarization.” It’s common in old glass bottles and decorative glass objects left in sunny windows for decades. True quartz crystal balls won’t turn purple in sunlight. Even though this particular ball isn’t crystal, this slow change in appearance indicates it’s a truly vintage item. Also, whatever it’s made of, the real magic to me is in the time and attention the object has received from its owner. I love thinking about how the depth of the color will always remind her children how long she had it on her windowsill. And how some things just aren’t for sale.

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In addition to the striking kintsugi cover, the thank you section of Stewart Brand’s new book caught my eye. Early drafts of the book had previously been shared online, inviting people to comment. The thank yous acknowledge in print the usernames of those commenters. A reminder we are in a new era of publishing.

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