Feeling discouraged as 2022 begins with record-breaking viral spread? Me too! But here are some things that have helped me keep my spirits up so far; maybe they'll help you, too.
Wisdom
Turn, Turn, Turn . . .
The fast forced upon us for Lent 2020 still won't be over by Easter 2021. We didn't choose this particular turn in our lives, but we each have a role in determining what comes next.
Spring Flowers and Ex-Boyfriends
This is something I've been thinking about all through this strange springtime when, despite being home so much more than normal, we are in fact allowed to go outside, to walk all over everywhere, to enjoy the flowers in everyone else's yards as well as our own gardens. Twenty-one years ago, when Daniel and I … Continue reading Spring Flowers and Ex-Boyfriends
Finding the Right Herbal Tea for This Moment
Oh, here we are in the middle of a pandemic and frantic efforts to end racial injustice and police brutality--and I'm talking about what kind of tea to drink?! Yes, I am. This is not my first round of lifestyle disruption and suddenly being stuck at home with a lot to worry about--and over the … Continue reading Finding the Right Herbal Tea for This Moment
The Longest Lent
I'm writing this on the day before Easter, the last day of Lent. This should be the last day of fasting and self-discipline, the day I'm preparing to resurrect the Maundy Thursday leftovers in a festive reception to follow the overwhelmingly inspiring Easter Vigil service, the middle of a weekend of seeing friends and family … Continue reading The Longest Lent
Simply Balanced curry sauce review (2 flavors)
One of my most popular articles in 2019 was a review of a curry simmer sauce in a bottle--and that sauce was not very good, so we wanted to try some other convenient, ready-to-use curry sauces in search of a better one. We've found two that are quite tasty, and they're not an obscure brand … Continue reading Simply Balanced curry sauce review (2 flavors)
How to get slug slime out of car upholstery
Let it dry and scrape it off with a used-up gift-card. Simple! Much simpler than I feared.
What I Really Learned in High School
I wrote about what I really learned in college 22 years after graduating--but here, I'm letting my high-school self speak from the perspective of the 11th-to-last day of 11th grade. I'm publishing this on my son's 14-and-a-halfth birthday, as he prepares for high school in the fall. I've just been writing about how I taught … Continue reading What I Really Learned in High School
How do I stay so thin?
This is a question people used to ask me really often. Then, when I became a mother, the question changed to, "How did you lose the baby weight?" Sometimes, these are just rhetorical questions, a way of saying, "I see you're thinner than I am, and that bothers me." (See Jessica's article "Stop Telling Me … Continue reading How do I stay so thin?
Pick Up the Receiver
I was raised Unitarian Universalist in Oklahoma. In theory, UU is a religion in which you can "build your own theology" and believe basically anything that works for you. In practice, Unitarians living surrounded by evangelical Christians (or rebelling against Catholic or Jewish childhoods) tend to be outspoken in their criticism of certain beliefs, so … Continue reading Pick Up the Receiver
Trader Joe’s Thai Yellow Curry Sauce review
Executive Summary: This is a C+ sauce. If you don't have time to make your own, this is better than no curry sauce at all. The flavor is not fabulous, probably because it's made with a lot of the wrong ingredients. My 14-year-old asked me to buy this sauce as a quick meal option, now that … Continue reading Trader Joe’s Thai Yellow Curry Sauce review
Am I your role model?
It's great to hear from readers who say that The Earthling's Handbook taught them some incredibly helpful idea that they use all the time now. That's what I want to do! I want to make the world a better place by sharing things that work for me, especially things that help people conserve resources, eat … Continue reading Am I your role model?
Veggie Inundation Just Before Vacation? How to Cope.
I've explained how to use a box full of seasonal produce in a week when you're cooking at home. But what if you've received your CSA farm share, or a bountiful harvest from your garden, the night before you're going to leave on a week's vacation? What can you do with all those fresh vegetables?! … Continue reading Veggie Inundation Just Before Vacation? How to Cope.
Hummus and Vegetable Flatbread Sandwich: You deserve this lunch!
Whoever you are, reading this, you deserve a tasty, healthy, homemade lunch! This one is easy, inexpensive, and low in environmental impact, so there's no need to feel guilty about it. Perhaps you're not struggling with that and would like me to get on with telling you the recipe. Well, first I'm going to show … Continue reading Hummus and Vegetable Flatbread Sandwich: You deserve this lunch!
Xylitol Chewing Gum: Health Facts and Product Reviews
Chewing gum with sugar is really bad for your teeth. But some of the alternative sweeteners are dangerous, and all of them can cause unpleasant metabolic reactions when the sweet taste makes your body prepare to digest sugar and then there's no sugar! I'm very sensitive to artificial sweeteners, but I do like to chew … Continue reading Xylitol Chewing Gum: Health Facts and Product Reviews
Have a Marvelous Monday!
Good morning! It's time to start another productive work-week! My recent rant about how teenagers aren't so terrifying was inspired partly by being the parent of a teen and partly by reflecting on my own teenaged years while sorting through some of my old stuff. One thing I found was the journal I wrote for … Continue reading Have a Marvelous Monday!
How to support Girl Scouts without buying cookies
It's Girl Scout Cookie time! I was a Girl Scout from second grade all the way through high school, I am a Lifetime Member, and I was a leader from 2002 to 2010. I've sold a few thousand boxes of Girl Scout Cookies. Girl Scouting is an important program that had a huge influence on … Continue reading How to support Girl Scouts without buying cookies
6 Ways to Unclog a Toilet without a Plunger or a Plumber [Infographic]
It happens to us all at some point: When we least expect it, our normally reliable toilet lets us down. A few flushes and a poke with the toilet brush often will be enough to get things moving again, but when that isn’t enough, here are some great suggestions to tackle the problem easily with … Continue reading 6 Ways to Unclog a Toilet without a Plunger or a Plumber [Infographic]
Why we had Banana Bread and Black Bean Soup for Easter dinner
We've never established a traditional Easter dinner for our family. Partly it's because we don't eat lamb or ham, but the biggest reason is that for the past 15 years I've been heavily involved in the Easter celebrations at church. The Easter Vigil service is late Saturday night, followed by a festive reception, and then … Continue reading Why we had Banana Bread and Black Bean Soup for Easter dinner
Streamlined Task Juggling: Getting things done when working from home
This is a guest post by Ben Stallings (Becca's brother), a Web developer and permaculture designer in Emporia, Kansas. “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun, and - snap! The job's a game!” --Mary Poppins I work from home, and my wife doesn't, so I … Continue reading Streamlined Task Juggling: Getting things done when working from home
The Earthling's Handbook 