It is that time of year – the 2018 seed catalogs have pretty much all arrived by now. These are exciting publications for us gardeners. Like many gardeners I began gardening from seed using Burpee seeds, which are ubiquitous. While I still appreciate Burpee seeds, my seed palate has been greatly expanded and I like supporting the smaller companies as well. My first foray into alternate seed companies was Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. I love Baker Creek and purchase from…
in the moment
January 11, 2018As part of my winter reading, I’m back to Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach. Maybe because the book is laid out by daily chapters, one for each day of the year, I tend to start reading it at the first of each year as part of the fresh start mentality, then drift away. I do love this book and am going to try and stick with it for the whole year this time. In today’s entry Sarah writes about…
refuge
January 8, 2018If you are like me, winter may just be your favorite time for reading. Do you have anything interesting on your nightstand, smartphone or Kindle at the moment? Having recently discovered author Sally Clarkson, I’ve been reading her book The Lifegiving Home: Creating a Place of Belonging and Becoming, cowritten with her daughter Sarah Clarkson. The central theme of the book is the importance of making one’s home a place that provides a refuge, and physical and spiritual nourishment and…
snow!
December 31, 2017Do you love the snow? Or maybe you’re the type that gets filled with dread when those first flakes start coming down. I think it all depends on the circumstances…will I need to be on the roads or can I just stay home and appreciate the beauty. Better yet, is there a good place to go sledding nearby?! And don’t forget about snowball fights. Our first real snowfall of the year came yesterday. I use the term “real” loosely, as…
health & holidays
December 11, 2017Greetings! It is good to be alive and well. I can appreciate this like never before, coming off of a two week bout of pneumonia that relegated me to bed rest for most of that time. Hopefully never again! Here’s to health and wellness in 2018 and beyond. We are finally getting the Christmas decorations up and wrapping gifts. Just being able to stand up and do these things seems like a miracle after being ill. Since Thanksgiving is our…
thanksgiving
November 20, 2017Thanksgiving is my very favorite holiday for many reasons. Fall weather and those lovely colors. Not to mention the charming decor. Family & Friends! Some years our group is on the smaller side and other years, the house is bursting at the seams with big folk, little folk, and dogs. Either way, there is love and goodwill throughout the space. Some of these folks, this is the only time we may see them throughout the year, what with distances and busy…
autumn glory
November 12, 2017back home
November 8, 2017How many of you no longer live in the same town where you grew up? Do you find it difficult to get back home to visit family and friends? Lately, I am finding this to be a challenge and it is bothersome, indeed. I got to spend a fantastic weekend recently in the town where I was born and lived for 34 years. It was so good to see my family! Life seems to get so busy and the time…
walnuts, part 3
November 5, 2017So continues the saga of the Great Walnut Harvest, which began here. Today was The Day to crack open the test walnut. It’s been a while since I’ve actually cracked a nutshell, what with the availability of shelled nuts pretty much everywhere. I whipped out the handy dandy nut cracker and prepared to do the job. Now, thinking back to the days when I used to have to crack nuts open using the same type of device pictured, there were never any…
spooky vs scary
October 31, 2017For many years Halloween was my favorite holiday. I did – and still do! – love everything about it. The costumes, the parties, the candy! The spookiness of it all! Or is it the scariness?? On a walk through the woods the other day, I got to thinking about what spooky really means. And, is there a difference between spooky and scary? All this time I’ve definitely been in the camp that says, yes, there is a difference. But I…
