I suppose that for everyone, this time of year is a time of memories, and I’m no excepting. For me, sitting alone in the quiet of the morning before Jason gets up and hearing the heat kick on is what reminds me of Christmas. You hear the thermostat click, then the furnace burner starts up, and…
Salad Heaven
I used to hate salads. Some of it may have stemmed from my dislike of sauces and dressings or that we didn’t have access to a whole lot of fresh veggies growing up, but what is the point of chopping a bunch of ingredients into tiny pieces just to mix them all together to eat…
Prepared to fail?
The internet tells me that it was Benjamin Frankin who said that those who fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Well, I’m pretty sure that one can do a lot of preparing in the wrong manner and still fail spectacularly. This is what I really hope I’ve avoided. My only younger sister (sometimes known as…
Freesia for all!
My nose definitely isn’t thanking me for sitting so close, but my heart is! Apparently, I can add freesia to the list of things I’m allergic to, but, believe me, it’s worth price to have these beauties sitting here on my improvised kitchen island. Let’s be honest, it’s been a long time since I’ve…
Just 1 more reason to love the USPS
So, this is a picture of my 1898 Singer treadle sewing machine when I first got her. You can see all the grime and rust and even the primer on the right edge where someone was starting to paint. Who knows, but I’m so glad they didn’t paint the whole thing. I’ve done a lot…
A Year Without Sugar
Tonight has turned out to be a very hard night. At the moment, I’d like nothing better than to grab a pint of ice cream or a package of oreos and drown my feelings in them. It wasn’t really anything big that started this spiral, either. I came home from work and was excited to…
Bringing down the neighborhood?
The other day I was out in my front garden adding yet another round of plants to the ever growing population and was stopped by a man driving by in an SUV. He stuck his head out of the window and started grilling me on how I feel about the new building going up across…
I’m a hockey player.
I thought I’d better hurry up and say that while I still can. It’s true! I’m on a team and everything, not that I would be on our team if it was based on merit rather than paying a registration fee. It’s a local community league, and our team is pretty abysmal. The only reason…
They DO exist! (I get surprised at Morris Arboretum)
I was more than a little disappointed when it decided to rain the day that Jason and I were going to hit our local arboretum to catch the cherry trees in bloom. We’re more than lucky to live only a couple miles from University of Pennsylvania’s Morris Arboretum (Apparently the official arboretum of PA, which…
Who doesn’t love a good chocolate chip cookie?
I don’t think I can ever really trust people who don’t like chocolate. If you hate coffee, we can learn to get along, but chocolate, not so much. My taste for chocolate has become more and more discriminating as I’ve gotten older and started getting serious about baking. When I was a kid, I could gnaw on…
Do as I say, not as I do
As someone who gets paid to tell people how to take care of plants, I feel like there are a lot of times when I need to heed my own advice. Yes, I have a pretty lovely garden, and my house is full of green most of the year, but you’d be surprised at the…
On taking a hike and the resilience of things
It’s the first time that it’s actually pleasant enough to sit out on our little back patio and relax after work, well, after work and a hike. I’ve been going for a hike every day lately. It’s part of my new Spring resolution. I don’t really remember what my New Year’s resolutions were, and by…
therestoredgardener 