The New (Old) Oil on the Block

and its unsavory past

Welcome readers, old and new!

Please hit the ❤️ above to send heartfelt congratulations to the four women who, with no prior experience, conceived of and built a rocket that is now orbiting in space.

One last glinting shard of a summer memory: As my little granddaughter, M, and I sat at the pool on side-by-side lounges during our recent Hawaii vacation, I said, “This is the life, Baby! What could be better?”

Under the blazing sun, M sipped carefully from her pineapple drink. “What could be better?” She took my question seriously. “If someone were fanning me,” she said. “Or if I could do this every day…”

My soul sister.

👵🏻 👧🏻 👵🏻 👧🏻 👵🏻 👧🏻

Speaking of every day, a curious reader wants to know why she’s suddenly seeing daily TikToks about the benefits of castor oil. Are the benefits for real?

HNTFUYF is a payola-free zone. I get no cut from sales when I mention a product. I share this so you know my recommendations are offered without obligation. The beauty response in this post sits quivering with excitement behind a paywall, waiting for you to discover it. For full access to all posts and the extensive archives, please become a paid subscriber at the currently discounted rate of $40/year. Can’t afford a subscription? Write to me at valeriemonroe@substack.com and I’ll give you a comp (no questions asked). 🙏