Today is the entertaining tips edition of Works-for-Me Wednesday, but I don't feel very well equipped to give advice on entertaining since we don't have guests nearly as often as I'd like; I'm one of the people who needs to read the host's article "Entertaining Even When You're Reluctant" and possibly the book she mentioned, … Continue reading This Crowded World
Pittsburgh
7 Quick Takes on 1 Dream
1. Pittsburgh has the topography of my dreams. By this I don't mean, "I always wanted to live in a place with steep hills and confusing street layout!" (I do enjoy it, but that was a gradual discovery after I moved here, not a reason to move here) but I mean that Pittsburgh when I'm … Continue reading 7 Quick Takes on 1 Dream
Why We Love Community-Supported Agriculture
UPDATE: It's 2015, and we're beginning our fifteenth summer with the Kretschmann Farm! We got a crate full of spinach, three kinds of lettuce, radishes, rhubarb, parsley, and multi-grain bread on Wednesday, and we're bringing a big salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing to a cookout tonight! I cleaned up and updated this post for Real … Continue reading Why We Love Community-Supported Agriculture
Tuesday Potlucks
On the first and third Tuesdays of the month, our church offers a short service followed by potluck dinner. Attendance usually is small, between 5 and 20 people. In order to get there on time, I have to rush from work to pick up my five-year-old son Nicholas from his preschool and trust that the … Continue reading Tuesday Potlucks
Local Lent diary
UPDATE: Eight years later, I'm linking this Lenten inspiration to Hearth & Soul . . . and I'm thinking about how I can reduce the plastic coming into and being discarded from our home this Lent! I'm also going to make more of an effort to read the Bible to my three-year-old daughter, who has … Continue reading Local Lent diary
I got to be a Shabbos Goy!
We live three blocks away from an Orthodox Jewish synagogue and within a mile of several others, so there are several Orthodox families on our street. Some are more friendly than others and occasionally chat with us about children, pets, or gardening, but in general they socialize with each other and don't mix much with those … Continue reading I got to be a Shabbos Goy!
Explaining the G-20 Protests to a Preschooler
It's been one week since Pittsburgh hosted the G-20 economic summit. The demonstrations against it and the police reactions to those demonstrations were a lot milder than they have been at previous summits in other cities, but there was some violent conflict and questionable conduct on both sides--check out the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette or Pittsburgh City … Continue reading Explaining the G-20 Protests to a Preschooler
New discount grocery store in Pittsburgh!
UPDATE: At the beginning of 2011, Market Outlet moved one block southeast to 1700 Penn Avenue. It now carries a few types of fresh produce, some frozen foods, and the weird brands of soda mentioned below. Market Outlet has opened in the Strip District basement formerly occupied by KML, on Smallman Street just east of the Sixteenth … Continue reading New discount grocery store in Pittsburgh!
An Everyday Educational Game
As we walked along our neighborhood's main street this afternoon, my four-year-old son asked me about a strange-looking contraption on the sidewalk. I explained that it's for the safe, sanitary disposal of cigarette butts. Sadly, Nicholas knows all about cigarettes, even though nobody in our family smokes them, because in our urban habitat we routinely … Continue reading An Everyday Educational Game
Operation Confuse-a-Bagger
Last spring, I was surprised to learn that I am famous for something that happened 16 years ago. That's what happens when you get mixed up with the KGB, I guess: Your exploits come back to haunt you. I'd had no idea that anyone was still talking about Operation Confuse-a-Bagger, much less that Shawn Knight's retelling of the legend … Continue reading Operation Confuse-a-Bagger
What’s wrong with these Earth policemen?!
Pittsburgh police killed Nang Nguyen because he was waving a meat cleaver. Okay, he should not have been doing that, but did they really have to shoot him dead on the sidewalk? Consider the details of this story: He had a history of acting strangely toward the end of the month, when he would run … Continue reading What’s wrong with these Earth policemen?!
Pittsburgh: A Love Letter
As of last August, I've lived in Pittsburgh longer than in any other town. Sixteen years, and I still love it! Pittsburgh is the #1 most livable city in America. I grew up in Oklahoma, so that's my basis for comparison, and Pittsburgh wins in many ways: I like walkable neighborhoods, not spread-out ranch houses and strip … Continue reading Pittsburgh: A Love Letter
Mothering in transit
The distance from our home to our childcare center is less than three miles. In rush-hour traffic, it's a 20-minute drive. But almost every day, Nicholas and I make the trip by public transit, taking two buses and at least 45 minutes in each direction. I could walk that distance in that time! Am I insane?! No. I'm convinced that public transit is a wonderful way to travel with a young child. The conveniences more than make up for the inconveniences, that extra time is time we spend together, and the trip is full of learning experiences for my child and me.
Our SoyLent Diary
The Earthling's Handbook editors gave up meat for Lent in 2002. Here are the highlights of our experiences. We did our best to have meatless meals while otherwise living our lives as usual.
The Earthling's Handbook 