I’ve got two rather dull housekeeping/blog-keeping notes. First, I haven’t been using my categories much. I’ve found that when I do, say, a weekly listing and mark off the many fabulous items that such a listing it includes, it’s way too much (Art! Nature! Books! Museums! Food!), and then it’s impossible to actually use the … [Read more…]
Cute W and the girls are leaving o-dark-early (as a friend in the reserves used to say) in the morning to visit Grandma & Grandpa in Kansas City. I’ll stay home. Alone. And, no: this doesn’t mean that we don’t all get along. It’s just that plane tickets are expensive. It was W’s idea, and … [Read more…]
If you’re growing cucumbers in your garden, you’re probably overwhelmed right now. We are.  But that means one of W’s favorite projects: homemade pickles! If you’d like to try it and don’t have any, buy some cucumbers at your local farmer’s market, but ask for pickling cucumbers specifically. One year we tried another variety and … [Read more…]
The excellent culinary karma continues at our house. First, thanks to our CSA, we’ve discovered purslane, which W and I both love; second, thanks to the Purple Cook and Martha Stewart, I’ve conquered beets–I just don’t like them plain or in borscht or in salad, but beet chips? mmmm. And, finally, we tried making our … [Read more…]
J’s been wanting her ears pierced since M got them done last fall. Now, I’m not one of those mothers who feels strongly that their daughter’s virgin ears have to reach a specific age (Does anyone know that Eddie from Ohio song, One Thousand Sarahs? Sarah’s got pierced ears and “all the mothers said her … [Read more…]
So, remember on Saturday night, when it was pouring down rain & there was lightning & thunder & high winds? Guess what we were doing? Camping!! Lucky for us, it wasn’t hardcore, back-to-nature camping, but backyard camping! Our friends host an annual party that brings people from as far away as the Carolinas. This is … [Read more…]
I’ve cooked some tasty new dishes in the last week, so I thought that I’d share. First, regular readers know that I’ve been experimenting with more vegetarian and vegan options which are generally received with groans of disdain. However, I tried a new dish that W likes. In fact, it’s the first time I’ve successfully … [Read more…]
Ah, nothing like a cleansing rain in the summertime. Was anyone else finding themselves irritable this afternoon, when it started to rain, and it was still hot and sticky? I’d been sure that the rain was going to mean sweet release from all of that humidity, and then. . . it wasn’t. So frustrating. When … [Read more…]
Really, who doesn’t like butterflies? Every summer, Farnsworth Middle School students run a Butterfly Station that’s a great trip for kids. It’s open from Monday to Friday, 10 am to 1 pm, until August 13th.  They set up an enclosed habitat on the school grounds so that you can walk among the butterflies, and inside the … [Read more…]
In between camp and swimming, we’ve been spending quite a bit of time playing Sleeping Queens. This card game was a birthday gift, and when I first read the directions, it sounded way too complicated. Actually, it’s pretty simple, and it was popular on vacation with all of the cousins. It’s got a little bit … [Read more…]
