A Succulent Little Update
I’m washing dishes and noticing how beautiful and full my terrariums have become. Do you remember in May how I made little terrariums with my friend? They were precious and so fun to make. Perhaps you have family coming into town for Thanksgiving. They might enjoy making terrariums one afternoon. The two photos below are […]
Blooming Now?
My youngest daughter bought me a package of Paperwhite Narcissus bulbs for planting indoors. We planted them on November 1st, and today, they bloomed! This only took 20 days from planting to enjoyment. Fragrant! Lovely! Do you remember when I wrote about the “Chilling Requirement” of certain fruit trees in Pennsylvania? The peach trees, for […]
I Know It Cold
It’s cold! My cats curl up by the heaters and steal all the warmth they can. My winter routine begins: We humidify the air. We wear layers. We apply lotion and lip balm. We drink warm beverages and slurp soups that simmer on the stove. We retire to bed earlier and close the drapes against […]
When a Child Says This to You
The 4th graders are studying astronomy in school. Back at home, I decide to show some children the amazing video from the Hayden Planetarium. In their Digital Universe Video, viewers can observe a film that “incorporates data from dozens of organizations worldwide to create the most complete and accurate 3-D atlas of the universe from the […]
It Happens While You’re Doing Something Else
Well, I wrote a book and published it. It happened. It really happened. Do you know what is more exciting than the fact that this happened? It’s how it happened. It happened when I was doing something else. You see, my whole life–from the time I wrote about a tree for Arbor Day as a […]
In the Cool Cellar of Your Heart
This morning on the way to church, we’re talking about how we can’t wait for next summer because the artichokes take two years to produce. My daughter planted these plants from a seed and carefully tended them through the spring and summer. But my husband cleaned out the beds, uprooted all the old plants, and […]
The Best Butternut Squash, Turnip, and Sweet Potato Soup (in 30 minutes!)
While my husband was busy doing this before the coming snow. . . I emptied packages of fresh cut butternut squash, turnip, and sweet potato into my largest pan with two tablespoons olive oil. While this began to cook, I chopped up three celery stalks, three large carrots, five garlic cloves, and one large onion. […]
Deciding Beforehand
I realizing the power of deciding beforehand in order to eliminate decision-making and stress in the moment. This works for more than just morning routines! Read on! With children, you try to eliminate as much decision-making as possible in time-sensitive situations. You know the drill: pack lunches and backpacks the night before, pick out outfits, […]
Roots That Feed on Nothing
In between my two classrooms on campus, a tangled mess of a tree sits. Those low sprawling branches look more like the root structure than the branches. I walk past those roots that feed on nothing but air. It’s an image of emptiness and futility. I recall Proverbs 15 and the mouth that feeds on […]
You Don’t Always Get to Pick
My daughter arrives indoors with the ripest, most juiciest blackberry I’ve ever seen. She pops it in her mouth and says, “See, I told you. They’re still growing.” It’s mid-November. It’s supposed to snow tomorrow. We’ve had frost and freezing temperatures for weeks. How, oh how can this be? I finally brave the cold and […]