This is a story I've been wanting to tell since it happened, but it almost doesn't sound real. This really did happen, though, and it was an important encouragement just when I needed one, and now I'm at a point where I really need encouragement again. I'm kind of writing this for myself to read, … Continue reading EVERYTHING WILL BE ALL RIGHT.
Turnips Armored in Self-Defense
For my latest article at Kitchen Stewardship, Kitchen Shortcuts for Busy Times, I needed photographs of at least one of the shortcuts, and the one I chose was cooking rice at the beginning of the week to use in three different meals. Naturally, I found myself doing this at a busy time...which got busier...so that … Continue reading Turnips Armored in Self-Defense
4 Easy Homemade Sauces for Instinctive Cooking
Are you good at following recipes but wish you had the knack for just throwing together a meal from ingredients you happen to have? The way I got started on developing that knack was to learn to make a basic sauce from scratch. Over at Kitchen Stewardship, I explain how to learn 4 sauces and … Continue reading 4 Easy Homemade Sauces for Instinctive Cooking
How to Save the Earth from Donald Trump and the Republican Congressional Majority
I was devastated by last Tuesday's election results. There are many reasons I object to Donald Trump (like his racist lies about crime) and many reasons I hoped for a Democratic majority in Congress, but what I'm writing about here is our environment. Even if you voted Republican, you may not want to live in … Continue reading How to Save the Earth from Donald Trump and the Republican Congressional Majority
Grandma, Grace, Portage, Petunias, and a Jade Green Sweatshirt
My grandma would be 101 years old today, if she were still alive. Last year I tried to write the centennial tribute she deserved, but I was recovering from a brain injury, so not only was everything a struggle but I felt really terrible and inadequate about everything...and also, I realized, "Grandma meant so much … Continue reading Grandma, Grace, Portage, Petunias, and a Jade Green Sweatshirt
A Person Who Deserves to Wear This Dress
A few days ago, I was unpacking my winter clothes and putting away my summer clothes, and I realized that there was a small section at the very back of my closet that had gone untouched for years. The garments hanging back there literally had cobwebs and a thick layer of dust on the shoulders. … Continue reading A Person Who Deserves to Wear This Dress
Make a Soap Saver: neat, clean bar soap with no waste!
Use every bit of soap with no gooey mess in the soap dish! Easy to make at a cost of $1 or less! Use up all those little soaps from hotels, and repurpose your old scrubby-puff, too!
How to Clean a Blackened Baking Pan
Autumn is here! Time for some nice baked squash! Unfortunately, this tasty side dish can really mess up your baking pan. Here's how my nice Corningware pan looked after my most recent batch of butternut squash. For some reason, this particular squash had an unusually large amount of sugary juice that oozed out the sides … Continue reading How to Clean a Blackened Baking Pan
Book Reviews: Good, Bad, and Coincidental
Imagine my surprise when one of the paperback mysteries I'd picked up at a used-book sale turned out to reference one of the others! In Harm Done, which I reviewed last month, a girl claims she was kidnapped by two women who forced her to do housework, and an irritated Inspector Wexford demands to know … Continue reading Book Reviews: Good, Bad, and Coincidental
Homemade Halvah: A sweet, nutritious, energy snack! (GF) (vegan)
Halvah is a Middle Eastern snack/dessert made mostly of sesame paste and sugar with various flavorings. I've usually had the chocolate flavor and liked it, but I never felt a craving for halvah until about six weeks ago. Suddenly, late one night, I found myself wishing I had halvah and wondering if I could make … Continue reading Homemade Halvah: A sweet, nutritious, energy snack! (GF) (vegan)
Has Your Favorite Soap Been Banned?
The United States Food & Drug Administration banned 19 antibacterial chemicals from hand soaps and body washes. By September 1, 2017, manufacturers need to reformulate their products or remove the products from the market. If you've been using an antibacterial soap, you may not be able to get it anymore. Don't despair! The reason for … Continue reading Has Your Favorite Soap Been Banned?
America is SAFER now than it used to be.
The United States experienced about half as much violent crime in 2014 as at the peak in 1992. Media and politics exaggerate the dangers we face.
Houses Built from Plastic Water Bottles!
This guy in Panama is building a village of houses whose walls are insulated with empty plastic beverage bottles! Click through to watch the video. This is a really great idea for making use of garbage, reducing construction costs, and building well-insulated homes that will require less energy to cool or heat. BUT! This is … Continue reading Houses Built from Plastic Water Bottles!
Peek Into My Pantry!
This rare glimpse into an actual Earthling habitat shows you what foods we keep on hand and how we organize them! Get all the details in my article at Kitchen Stewardship! Exclusively in The Earthling's Handbook, play "Find the differences between these two photos!" The one on the left was taken first, but then I … Continue reading Peek Into My Pantry!
Some Old and Some New: September Book Reviews
This month I read two books that were new to me and two I'd read before but didn't remember well. 36 Children by Herbert Kohl Mr. Kohl was a white, Jewish graduate of Harvard and Columbia who agreed to teach sixth grade in a public school in Harlem in 1962. The school was only 29 … Continue reading Some Old and Some New: September Book Reviews
Bedtime List: How to organize a child’s routine
Our two-year-old Lydia has always been the type who takes a while to wind down, but in the late spring after she stopped nursing, she went pretty easily into a relatively smooth routine of listening to several stories and then saying good night and lying alone in her bed in the dark listening to a … Continue reading Bedtime List: How to organize a child’s routine
Stratospheric Flight: electronic music
My man of many talents has composed and recorded several electronic music tracks. Here's the latest! Click here if the embedded link below does not work for you.
Yogurt Sundaes: A healthy treat!
I've been eating Yogurt Sundaes since I was a teenager. This versatile bowlful of food can be a yummy breakfast, a light lunch, a late-night snack that keeps you full until morning (crucial for fighting pregnancy nausea!), or a satisfying treat when you want the fun of eating a sundae without the calories and sugar … Continue reading Yogurt Sundaes: A healthy treat!
Drowning in Veggies? 5 Steps for Using a CSA Farm Share
It’s dinnertime on a Wednesday, and you’ve just been handed 10 pounds of fresh, organic, locally-grown, assorted vegetables! You’re eager to get some of them onto your family’s plates tonight and make sure you use every bit as wisely as you can before next week—when another load of vegetables will arrive—and you never know what … Continue reading Drowning in Veggies? 5 Steps for Using a CSA Farm Share
Wallflowers and Oranges Unbound! (book reviews)
I've been catching up on my magazines this month, but I've also read three books... The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky Charlie is a friendless teenager beginning his freshman year at a high school in the affluent southern suburbs of Pittsburgh. The book is a series of "Dear friend," letters he's writing … Continue reading Wallflowers and Oranges Unbound! (book reviews)
The Earthling's Handbook 