Category: Domestic Life

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • What a pickle!

    Oh, yes, my brain fog is sooo much better As retirees, my husband Jerry and I are somewhat new to the vegetable garden gig. This summer, we’ve tried various gardening gadgets and techniques. Winter sowing and cattle panels for climbing veggies have produced lots of tomatoes and cukes. But now in August, our dilemma has…

  • Homemade jam, anyone?

    It shouldn’t be this hard for a teacher! I can read, right? How did my ancestors, or even my mother do it? Making jam shouldn’t be such a challenge! Spring arrived and suddenly I was surrounded by friends who were sharing their plans for planting, canning, and freeze-drying their produce just as I was beginning to…

  • It’s been a weird Christmas.

    Pushing the pause button It’s been a weird Christmas.  One spent exactly the opposite way I had hoped: home with family. In October– on the 7th actually– once again we broached the topic of canceling our long-anticipated holiday trip with friends to Egypt, Crete, and Israel.   After a few days of ungluing ourselves to the…