6:30 am: The wind howled at fifty miles an hour all night, folding pieces of the greenhouse and threatening loose objects. My wwoofer, Maycee, and I rapidly pick green tomatoes, filling two large canning pots, saving all we can. The tarp and blankets only cover 15×4 feet of tomato plants. We cover the zucchini and …
The governor issued a Stay at Home order until April 11th. I was livid. I was supposed to go see my granddaughters this weekend. We have three birthdays coming up (including mine). We have celebrations and a life to live. And now we can live it in the living room alone. I was mad. In …
It is such a lovely home just the way it is. I was wondering about my crazy ideas this morning before demo began! But this is our farmhouse and it needs to work for us! Sure, there is a strip of floor and a strip of wall missing now- all which can be covered and …
Petunia is still rather plump, even after having babies last autumn. She is very fluffy and so cute I wish she would come in the house to live, but of course squirrels don’t typically enjoy living in the house. She sits next to me on the porch as I eat my lunch on warm days. …
The air has a slightly different feel to it. A different scent. The cold is still there. I bundle up as I go out to do chores. But there is a tinge of something else upon the morning breath. Life. Spring. By all indications, it is still the dead of winter, but I sense it. …
There is a very large photograph in Aunt Donna’s basement of her as a young woman, dark hair, slim figure, standing primly in a beauty pageant. Her forties hair swirled perfectly and her lovely face and smile… my Shyanne looks very much like her. Aunt Donna is my grandma’s sister. I say ‘is’ even though she …
Gardening need not be expensive nor incredibly difficult. By necessity I have come up with ways to make widespread, prolific gardens quickly and easy on the homestead pocket. The first thing that is imperative to a great garden is compost. Compost is one of those things that still baffles folks a little. You do not …
My mother was a housewife. It was easier and more affordable for her to stay home with all of us kids. We started caring for foster babies when I was young so there were no less than five of us at any given time. The home was her domain and everything was tidy and clean and healthy supper …
Now I said it with my mom voice. You know the mom voice? Even if the kids grow up and move out the voice still finds its way around. “No shoes in the house!” I says. Best mom voice. No…(pause)…shoes in the…(pause)…house pleease! Now I am married to an independent man but one that likes …
The memory of walking up the steps to my great-grandmother’s bungalow as a young girl is still vivid to me now. Every summer the wide, cement porch railing would be filled with geraniums. The lush greenery topped with clusters of brightly colored flowers waved in the warm air. Geraniums mean welcome to me. I have …
