Retrospection. Introspection. These speak of looking backward or inward, respectively. It tickles me to think of eyeglasses being called spectacles. I looked up the Latin root, “spec,” and it, indeed, means to “look or see.” Have you ever been one to take Sunday drives? If you haven’t heard the term, it refers to taking a […]
Work (at home) has lightened up slightly enough that I was able to run errands in town this morning. My husband needed a copper cap for a water line and I picked out two new lock sets for exterior doors. We are fixing up the secondary house that is on our small acreage. This little […]
It’s officially autumn here on our calendars in Northern California. I picked up four seed packs for a little fall garden. Spinach and lettuces will do better now that the excessive heat of summer has passed. Mostly, I want some good, fresh cilantro–which we like to use to top off our Mexican meals. I read […]
I am taking up the challenge of counting 1,000 gifts ala Ann Voskamp’s book, One Thousand Gifts. Here is my listing for February 2014: 1. THREE GIFTS RED: Hot tea in a red thermos cup; a stock of red tins of peppermint Altoids; red eyes crying for the suffering 2. THREE GIFTS ON PAPER: The […]
My latest experiement in foodstuff was with acorns. Because I happened to notice an overwhelming abundance of acorns this year, right in my orchard, falling from the valley oak along our road, I decided that I would be foolish to let this easy opportunity pass me by. We gathered a 5-gallon bucket-full from within a […]
“Count your blessings. Name them one by one. Count your blessings. See what God has done.” So goes a little song I’ve heard. I recently read a book called One Thousand Gifts, about literally taking note of the beauty and blessings around us, and author Ann Voskamp’s challenge to all of us echoes the words […]
In Psalm 119:11, the psalmist David writes to his God: “Thy Word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against Thee” (KJV). David had composed this psalm as a poem, with each stanza beginning with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The entire piece magnifies the words of God and […]
Got eggs? I sometimes go to my mom’s house and watch cooking shows with her. She records the shows so we can fast-forward through commercials. Recently, we were watching Ree Drummond make a key lime pie dessert that called for FOURTEEN WHOLE EGGS, and I thought, “At last! A recipe that would use all those […]
Bright, bulbous beauties, beets are growing in the garden–and growing on me! This is my second season to can spicy pickled beets. I followed the Ball Blue Book recipe. I like having these to bring color and interest to our Thanksgiving spread. I have also found that certain older folks have a sentimental spark for […]
I have been seeing that educating my daughter at home is a FLUID PROCESS. There are sudden springboards that appear out of nowhere each day–and off we go, LAUNCHED in an unexpected direction. I want to share a little thing that we are doing each morning after our Bible reading. I have a calendar from […]
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