Fox

The fox comes every evening around dusk, walking through the front yard in search of food. I quietly watch him out the window, admiring his red fur and bushy grey tail. I don’t want to scare him, afraid he will not return. He has taken care of our mole problem more efficiently than any thing...

The forgotten ingredient of Time

Time is an ingredient that seems to have been forgotten in the modern kitchen. Here are my latest kitchen projects that require time as a necessary ingredient. KombuchaIngredients:Strong sweet teaA scobyA little kombucha from the previous batchTime- 7 days Extracts ExtractsIngredients:VodkaItem to be extracted (cinnamon, vanilla beans, coconut). Time- 3 to 6 months Milk Kefir...

Walk in the woods

I have a neat little app on my phone that identifies plants and wildflowers by picture. It has helped me to learn native plants to North Carolina that grow in my yard and woods around my house. The app is called Picture This.It frames the pictures that I take with the plant's name and species....

Sandra’s Trail Cookies

I have adapted this recipe enough that I am confident in calling it my own. These are real oatmeal cookies that are great for taking with you on the trail or anywhere that you choose to eat your cookies. Ingredients: Mix together these dry ingredients • 3 cups of old fashion oats • 1 cup...

Electricity

It takes a winter storm to remind us how much we depend on electricity for our food, heat, lights, and our livelihoods. Working primarily on a computer, the job comes to an abrupt stand still without electricity. Since moving to the “country” we have become better prepared and have learned how to go into “no...

Brown spots

I look down at my arms and in the mirror at my face. There they are, everywhere, brown spots. The kind that old people get. I remember Grandma had them. I thought they were cool. I asked her why she had them. She said, “old age”. Grandma never beat around the bush. I would sit...

Snow on the mountain

View from my yard this morning at sunrise. Snow on the mountain reflecting the colors of the sunrise. Then later in the day, the light was completely different but just as beautiful.

Dove

It am lying in my bed, listening to a dove coo outside my bedroom window. This song came to my mind.

Airplane mode

There is something peaceful in the silence that comes when the whole cabin is in airplane mode. No irritating ringtones or loud conversations. Then the plane lands. All us addicts reach hastily for a fix. Silence is broken

Freeze

Hard freeze last night with pastel skies this morning. How the pansies must shiver under the coat of ice. But once the sun is up they will thaw out and their blooms will be as beautiful as ever. The pansies; so delicate, yet so strong. So resilient. Resliient, a word that gets throw around by...