The Sunday Steep #1: It's time to up my grandma game.

Nana, Mimi, Gram, Gangie? Help me choose a grandma nickname. Also: GOATS.

Hello, friends. It’s good to be back.

Summer’s far from over by the calendar, but this part of August always has a sort of winding-down feeling to it. We’re taking Owen to college next week, which is definitely making summer feel like it’s flying by faster, and between that and some cool, breezy days this week, I’m finding myself in a looking-forward-to-fall mood. Which feels like a great time to launch The Deep Steep - a new, weekly newsletter I’ll be publishing here on Substack. In each Friday edition you’ll hear what’s on my mind, in my cup, in my hands (e.g. what I’ve been making or doing) and on my bookstack. A well-curated newsletters is one of my favorite types of content on Substack and I’m not sure why it took me so long to realize that I could do one, too - but here we are.

On My Mind…

I need a fun grandma name. (Or…do I?)

First, did you even know that I’m a grandma? No worries if you didn’t: it’s still a surprise to me sometimes, too. My stepson and his wife had their baby, Flynn, a year ago July, which technically makes me a step-grandmother. But while that distinction has made it possible for me to maintain a bit of emotional distance between myself and the Grandma role so far, this sweet little man deserves all the adults in his life to be all-in as his elders - and I deserve to fully embrace the experience, too.

Earlier this week, while getting ready for a visit from Flynn and his mother I realized I had pitifully few toys or books for him here, and that I really needed to step up my grandma game. I ran out and thrifted some toys and books, and put them in a basket I’ve dubbed the Flynn Bin.

I’m trying to remind myself that 47 isn’t really an outlandishly youthful age to be a grandmother, even though it may seem to be in our modern world.

Plus, Flynn’s starting to talk—and at some point, he’s going to need to call me something.

Right now, Flynn’s parents refer to me as “Grandma Meagan” when they’re talking about me to him, and that’s fine. But given the opportunity, I’m wondering if I shouldn’t proactively choose something a little more fun and distinctive. After all, Flynn is the first in what could wind up being quite a long line of grandchildren and eventually great-grandchildren. Shouldn’t I get in front of it now and come up with the name I want to go by with all future generations to come?

I tend to think so, but it also feels like a lot of pressure. My paternal grandmother was Nana, my maternal grandmother Gramma or simply Gram. Nana was a refined and regal Bostonian (who pronounced “vase” like “vaahhhhz”), while Gramma was much more of a salt-of-the-earth, rough-around-the-edges sort. Both women seemed to entirely inhabit and personify their nicknames. But neither seem quite right for me.

A Google search turned up a few other options that felt either too fussy (Gigi, Queenie) or just plain funny (Memaw) but nothing that feels like a fit…except, perhaps, Mimi. That one keeps coming back to mind - I like that it’s French, as I’m just beginning to dig into my extensive French-Canadian ancestry (more on that below), and also that it starts with an M, like my name.

Or I could just make one up, like Gangie a.k.a Lucille Bluth…

Arrrgh, how do I choose?! Have a suggestion? Weigh in on the poll below (or leave a comment).

In My Cup…

I’ve been having the best time sampling new teas as part of the buying process for Bevy, the brick-and-mortar tea shop I opened this summer. I always like trying new teas in theory and mix it up frequently when I’m tasting in a tea house or coffee shop, but at home, I often get stuck in my usual patterns - so it’s been great to have a compelling reminder to branch out.

Right now I’m sipping Big River from Good Medicine Tea, a longtime friend of The Tea’s Made. Big River is a blend of black teas and roasted oolong. I have a hard time describing this tea - the words “malty” and “earthy” come to mind, but it’s also got a sweet lightness to it that seems to give it a bounce. And I drink it hot with milk, even though it’s marketed as a cold brew (I almost never drink cold or iced tea, even in the middle of summer!)

Want to try it? Use code TEASMADE at GoodMedicineTea.com for 15% off your first order.

In My Reading Pile…

My reading life has been all over the place for the last few months - the throes of summer plus book deadlines of my own will do that! - but a month or so ago my sister recommended Barkskins by Annie Proulx, and I’ve been slowly making my way through this epic book since. It tells the story of two French woodcutters (“barkskins”) who helped to launch the logging industry in late 17th-century Canada (then referred to as “New France”) and the ensuing saga of their descendants in the forests of Canada and northern Michigan.

Just a few chapters in I found myself inspired to research my own French Canadian history, which led to me falling down a major rabbit hole and sidetracked by reading several OTHER books about les filles du roi, and also learning that I might be distantly related to Celine Dion, Justin Bieber, and the Trudeau family.

More about THAT in a future Deep Steep, but now I’m back to reading Barkskins. It’s going to take me some time to get through the whole book, but I’m enjoying every minute. So far, a strong recommendation.

Support indie booksellers by ordering your copy through Bookshop.org!

In My Hands…

Travel and book deadlines took me out of my usual creative kitchen routines (and, let’s face it, all of my other routines too) for much of June and July, but I’m back - starting with my first-ever loaf of sourdough bread.

The loaf was a wee bit denser than I’d hoped, I used way too much flour for dusting, and my score design wound up looking somewhat…vulva-esque, but overall I’m happy with the result. The sourdough taste was spot-on, the crust nice and crusty, and the whole thing was gone within 24 hours…a very good sign. Thank you to my sister-in-law Jenna for the lesson and starter, which I finally managed not to kill under her tutelage.

I also started my cheesemaking back up with a batch of fresh chèvre earlier this week, but alas: my milk supply is about to dry up (now that’s a sentence I haven’t uttered in well over a decade!) as my farmer friend Sam is drying off her milking goat in anticipation of her next pregnancy (the goat’s, that is.)

Questions for a (very) beginner cheesemaker? I’ll do my best. Leave a comment!

Which leads me to…

THIS pretty girl.

She’s Minnie, a 6-month-old doe, and she’s available for purchase. Like now.

Isn’t she gorgeous? She’s still young, but getting her (and one of her siblings - goats are social animals so it’s best to have at least two) now would give me a chance to ease into goat lady life and figure out what I’m doing before she’s ready to breed (and eventually, to milk.)

Eric isn’t so convinced. He wants me to have goats, but he also gets hung up in details: you know, little things like “but where will we put them?” and “how much will it cost?” and “how do we keep them from breaking out and eating everything in sight?” whereas I’m all, “BUT GOATS (and we’ll figure the rest out later.)”

There’s a happy medium somewhere between my rush-in-now-and-ask-questions-later nature and Eric’s tendency to want everything to be absolutely perfect before taking the first step, and right now we’re working out where that middle ground lies. From where I sit, I’ve already waited, like, my whole life for this; from where he sits, waiting a few more months can never hurt.

The timing may not work out for Minnie to become mine, but having the opportunity to buy a real, live goat rather than just think about maybe one day owning a goat has lit a fire under me to get fences built and arrangements made.

And in the meantime, I’m googling “sexy lady with goat” photos and ruthlessly spamming Eric with gems like this:

100% can pull off this look I’M SURE OF IT.

Okay friends, that’s all for the first edition of The Deep Steep. I have to tell you, I had so much fun writing it, so I hope you had as much fun reading it and that you’ll continue making it part of your Friday routine.

Until next time, friends!

Warmly,

Meagan