Lifestyle
The Pleasures of a Life Slowed Down
This post first appeared on goshencommons.org on March 2, 2013 “There is more to life than increasing its speed.” ~Gandhi I am in a sling until nearly the middle of April. It is awkward and bulky and I didn’t ask the doctor whether or not I could drive. That is quite all right though – I can … Continue reading
The Aesthetics of Seed Catalogs
This post first appeared on goshencommons.org on February 9, 2013. Seed catalogs are arriving in my mailbox almost daily now. Some go directly into the recycling. Some go into the basket of magazines and catalogs near the door for perusal at a later time. Some come into the house with me for immediate consideration. What differentiates … Continue reading
From Cheese Sandwiches to 52 Pints of Pickles
This post first appeared on goshencommons.org on Feb. 2, 2013 As a teenager, I had decided that I was never going to do traditional household work such as cooking. I was going to be a professional woman and live solely on cheese sandwiches and ice cream. Though Pete still does most of the cooking in our … Continue reading
Remembrance of Thanksgivings Past
Though my parents were immigrants to the U.S., we embraced the Thanksgiving Holiday, complete with all the traditional Thanksgiving foods: cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, and, of course, turkey, stuffing, and gravy. A day or so before Thanksgiving, the turkey, if frozen, came out of the freezer and went to soak in some cold water in … Continue reading
Perennial Leads to Soup, Thoughts of the Grandmother Who Once Made It
This post first appeared on goshencommons.org on November 17, 2012 In previous posts, I introduced two plants in the international collection of green leafy perennials growing in my garden: Russian Kale and Italian Cardoon. Today, I want to talk about a third plant, French Sorrel. When I was growing up, we didn’t have much of … Continue reading
Working in the rain
It rained three times so far this week. This morning a gentle rain was falling; a rain that reminded me of days in Seattle; a rain that would not stop any true northwesterner from being outside; a rain that never stopped me from working in the yard and garden. So outside I went. I’m expecting … Continue reading
The Garden – Spring 2012 Update
This was the year that I decided not to do much in the garden. Well, I couldn’t really resist. First of all, by April, we still hadn’t eaten all the potatoes from last year, so those needed to go into the ground, two long rows worth of potatoes. Add to that the row of potatoes … Continue reading
On dreams, aspirations, and bucket lists
I had never heard of bucket lists before a couple of years ago. I guess a movie came out with that name (I haven’t seen it). At the time, I was asked if I had a bucket list. I thought about it for a little while, but then said “no”. That surprised some people because … Continue reading
Growing tomatoes
I should just give up. For years I try to grow tomatoes from seed with varying degrees of success. In recent years, I have had more failures than successes. But this was the year it was all going to turn around. I started my seeds in February, earlier than ever, so they would have plenty … Continue reading
Sleepy Winter Garden
I haven’t posted anything about the garden in a while. We’re having winter weather, and while the kale was able to withstand fairly cold temperatures, it is finally wilted. The cardoon is also wilted, but it is spreading, so I am sure we’ll see cardoon again in the spring.. We finally got back to doing … Continue reading