Pants 4 Plants

July 2025

I’m trading climbing pants for yard work.

I made myself a pair in colorblocked canvas using this pattern (highly recommend!) and wore them to the gym.

Maybe you already know this, but climbers love gear. Shiny belay devices, carabiners with clicking gates, ropes flecked with color, lightweight helmets, metallic quickdraws. So when I showed up outfitted in my loud pants, they wanted to know:

Agreement made.

And then there I went, ordering seeds and making a plan.

Now, my yard has been transformed into something otherworldly—no plants yet, just the sun glinting on plastic sheeting.

This plastic is killing all the plants in my yard. Come fall, I’ll spread seeds for a native prairie lawn. They’ll stratify in the winter and start sprouting in the prepared soil next spring.

I caught up with a former coworker and told her about the replanting project. “You’ve been talking about doing this for years!”

All it took was the right deal to get started.

This trade delights me. I love sewing and coming up with color combos for cool pants. I love not doing yard work, and having friends over is the best.

The whole point of a prairie garden is abundance and mutual flourishing. I can’t imagine a better way to get it started.

Thanks for reading this month! I hope you wear good pants and spend time with friends who help you with fun projects.

💜, Ten

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Elsewhere

“What if this event looked like a picture book?” That’s the question my coworker and friend, Tyson, asked as we developed a new look for Riverfest. He did the art direction and design, and I wrote the story and made illustrations. The project is live and we’re so proud! The whole process was a dream collaboration with a ton of client trust.

I just stumbled into Charlotte Cornfield’s music and am really enjoying it. “You came into my life like a gripping novel” is a top-tier lyric.

You could mummify a hot dog this summer.

Beautiful paintings done in good ol’ Microsoft Paint (yes, really!)

I ordered my seeds from Prairie Moon Nursery, in case you’re looking for a source. They have lots of great info on prairie gardening to get you started!