Category: Domestic Life
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The way will open
Ants have been harassing me. For a week or so before our big trip west, a couple of times when I sat on the couch in the evenings, I felt a little tickle on my arm or leg. When I glanced down, I saw a big, fat black carpenter ant moseying along my bare skin.…
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A simpler summer
Clad in well-worn cotton shorts and shirts, we started the day alternating between scorching sun and suffocating shade, maneuvering our bikes between old paint cans and lawn chairs like the drivers at the Marsh truck rodeo, or resting on a blanket under the huge black willow playing Barbie and Janney dolls, with old Jane West…
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Am I overthinking again?
After one month of dedicated effort, I am no longer a member of my local fitness facility. My pickleball fanatic friend took me as a guest to a new place in town a few weeks ago to enjoy the walking track. We chatted and walked, forgetting the number of laps we made around the balcony…
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I'm not much of a gambler
But in the garden, I’ll take my chances I’ve never been one to depend on chance. The craps and roulette tables never tempt me as I pass through a smokey casino on a cruise ship. I scurry along to avoid smelling like cigarettes when I emerge on the other side. I learned gambling didn’t pay…
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We’re having a little party on Saturday
I’ve got to get ready Even though they won’t be coming, I feel my parents nudging me. I kick into Dad mode. Make a list and assign chores to anyone who is standing nearby or is expected to be standing nearby in the coming hours. Used to be that was my kids’ seasonal horror. “You…
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Adulting isn't easy
Even at my age! The weather is deliciously warm today, with a high in the 60s. There’s not a cloud in the sky- a perfect spring Hoosier day, albeit somewhat early. Too bad it had to be ruined. After my husband left to run errands this afternoon, I let the pup into the back yard…
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My new invasive species: AI
It’s February and my seed catalog browsing has ended. I‘ve decided to create a native perennial flower bed along a neglected side of the house and even have the seed packets in hand. Now it’s time to consider where each plant will spend the summer at my house. Writing the names of the plants on…
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Gorgeous flowers, with a little help from AI
I am starting to get over my Master Gardener imposter syndrome. I’m a teacher by training and vocation, so gardening has been a more recently developed hobby. But my knowledge is growing! After enjoying a bouquet of cut flowers sent by colleagues twice a month during the summer, my husband and I talked about whether…
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Ten things I love about being sick
And staying home from work is not one of them! At the risk of sounding positively toxic, there are some upsides to being sick for two and a half weeks over the holidays. I wouldn’t have seen them the week before last when I was hacking up half a lung from the deep, rumbling cough…
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The downside of multi-tasking
Another Kind of Canning Pickle Teachers can do anything, can’t they? I used to believe that teachers could tackle nearly any job and do it with aplomb. I mean, who else is adept at managing up to 150 kids in various grades and abilities, creating engaging lessons and activities to keep 90% of the class…
