The cat peed on the bathmat. Twice.

I don’t care if I’m trapped here for a year. I’m not deep soaking and washing a bathmat a second time.

It’s a hazardous time to go without a bathmat. I did consider murdering the cat and just using him as the new bathmat … but, I actually really like the cat. Plus, it did seem easier to buy something new. You live to pounce another day, FurJerk.

It’s a good time to support independent retailers … and even larger retailers. Listen, J. Crew might be a huge, corporate chain, but they make a bikini bottom that actually covers my butt. If they go out of business because of this (a very real possibility), I’m going to buy a lifetime stash of 27 black bikini bottoms … like some Summer SuperHero … just to ensure I never run out.

Mother’s Day is also almost upon us. It’s a hard time for moms especially right now. If you’re 75, Coronavirus is scarier. If you’re a new mom, you’re trapped with no help for latching consultants, new mom groups or even hugs from friends.

And, if you’re the mother of a four-year-old, God help you.

All of this considered, I wanted to put up a post about retailers I adore. Some are rather expensive. I just cyber window shop and daydream. Or, glean ideas and then hunt knockoffs.

Some, like Kim + Ono, are particularly fitting right now. I want the comfiest pajamas and the silkiest robes in this forced isolation. It boosts your spirits to look divine. I’m also a die-hard fan of both The Reformation and Hawkins NY. These independent boutiques have been keeping me in dresses and sheets for a long while, and Hawkins is having a Sale-On-the-Sale. If you need linen sheets, I highly recommend.

Your thoughts on fun bathmats most welcome in the comments. I’m torn between a goldfish or a lion.

HAWKINS NY

Everything in the sale category for this homewares shop is now 50% off. Their linen fitted sheets are the softest things on Planet Earth. I’m typing from atop one right now.

CB2

Does CB2 need your support? Pffffft. No. BUT! They are having a 30%-off sale on outdoor furnishings and planters right now. We are all gardening. Bring some greenery inside or spruce (pun!) up your patio. I also like the fact that they support independent designers through partnerships. CB2 furniture lasts forever. It’s timeless. It’s modern, but not annoyingly so.

THE REFORMATION

Quarantine won’t last forever. It’s why I have to put down the Cheetos and occasionally do a few lunges into the kitchen to get the Triscuits. Buying a pretty dress to have a Zoom date or to just sit on the curb outside your house is acceptable. It might even be necessary. This company features sustainable fashion that actually looks beautiful on. PRO TIP: You need an iron. They recycle textiles, and their stuff does tend to wrinkle.

MADISON & PARK

A great option for Mother’s Day! This small company out of South Carolina make insanely delicious-smelling candles and room sprays. The Lavender Coconut is my absolute favorite. I just purchased two for the house and while I cannot go to the beach, it sure does smell like it in here.

SIMON BLAKE

Simon Blake is a local collage artist here in New Orleans. I’ve got a few prints by him that I picked up at an art sale for an absolute steal. I’ve been trying to support someone local with a small purchase a few times a week. Ten dollars here or there. He is selling an $18 pack of collage postcards right now. Fabulous Mother’s Day gift. Everyone needs to also support the USPS and get some stamps. Throw a fun booklet in and BAM! Consider Mom impressed!

HOUSE OF HACKNEY

I love that old New Orleans vibe. A design that says, “Indiana Jones & Wes Anderson curated my living room.” Steamer trunks and gilded candlesticks in the shape of cobras. An antique compass and intricate, deeply dyed, scrolling wallpaper. Velvet everywhere. House of Hackney is a London retailer of all of those lush, luxe things. They are not cheap but they’ve had a 30%-off sale going on during The Virus.

KIM + ONO

I love the mornings. The mornings aren’t so bad. I put on my so-soft, Kim + Ono robe. I make coffee. I Bluetooth some Nina Simone or Nicole Atkins or Ella Fitzgerald. I light a few candles. I snuggle back in the bed with the aforementioned, bathmat-destroying kitten to read emails. The mornings aren’t so bad.

We will get through this, everyone. It isn’t going to be tomorrow or next week or even next month. But mark my words, there will come a day when we are somewhere, zooming around town, with what feels like one-million obligations and errands … and we will say, “Ah, man … I could really use a forced quarantine right about now.”

Till then … call your Mother. Buy her something nice. Support independent retailers, if you can still afford it.