Reflection – Things I've Learned Along The Way

Hope

Every winter seems impossible. Clouds draped over the sun, Naked trees, howling winds… Yet still, the blossoms come.

Life, Death and Books in 2022

I keep a list of books that I read each year. In 2022, the list is linked to the life and loss of my mom.

In Memoriam, In Person

At a memoandemic losses were compounded by not being able to gather to in community.

Baking in Community, Connection

It started with lemons and became a lesson in what brings people together, even when they are far apart.

Fallow

I haven’t posted on my blog in almost a year. A lot has happened during those 10 months. The time was not wasted.

Books I Read in 2021

I have traveled to Mars, visited the Thames in Victorian England, watched war from the walls of Troy, laughed and cried over love and death in white paper pages with black markings.

Growing is Painful. The Alternative is Worse.

Many of my garden plants have spent more than a year in my care, and it became apparent this spring that several of them needed transplanting. I could see that the rosemary stood taller than its blue planter, the thyme had spilled over the edges of its pot, the oregano towered above its aqua home,Continue reading “Growing is Painful. The Alternative is Worse.”

Things That Helped Ease 2020

The year 2020 will go down in history as a tough one for so many people. It seems like everyone I meet has a difficult story. Some people have lost jobs. Others have lost loved ones. Still others live alone and feel the loneliness and lack of in-person contact, while some people working at homeContinue reading “Things That Helped Ease 2020”

A year of doing nothing

People have experienced so many losses this year: Huge losses, including jobs, loved ones and lives, and things such as gatherings, hugs and routines. Some people appear to have weathered quarantines and shelter-in-place orders by learning new languages, training for marathons and purchasing puppies. But those of you who found yourselves looking for a reasonContinue reading “A year of doing nothing”

Cutting back to grow

Many fruit and vegetable plants become more productive with pruning. This seems counterintuitive. How do you get more produce with less plant? The secret: Plants left to their own devices will continue to grow shoots and leaves and stems, but they won’t produce as many fruits and vegetables. They grow, yes, but it isn’t productive growth.