Create a Little Joy: Grow Peas
We check the garden every day now. We’re already harvesting cucumbers, but the tomatoes, beets, and peppers aren’t anywhere near ready. The sunflower hasn’t bloomed; the blackberries aren’t black; the raspberries have no blossoms yet. But the peas are close. Very close. I’ll gather them in a bowl and begin the shucking of peas. The […]
Keep Your Eye on This
I’m walking in the woods for the last time with my dear neighbor who will move away on Monday. It’s evening, and the sun sets as we walk. She’s the one who showed me the Lady Slipper Orchids, the one who taught me how to go owling, and the one who walked me to the […]
First Roots, Then Blossoms
I’m standing at the kitchen sink as the bright yellow sunlight streaks across the windowsill in front of me. I check the gardenia cutting–the one that’s been sitting in a glass of water for weeks now–for roots. Not yet. I change the water, remove the lower leaves, and put the cutting back into the glass. […]
A Thorough Repentance
Last night, the fireworks show begins with a reading of the Declaration of Independence. I’m listening to the voice boom over the loudspeakers across the valley, and I’m deeply aware of the verbs for the first time in my life: dissolve, throw off, absolve. I’m hearing it again: We totally dissolve this. We will not […]
Also with the Contrite and Lowly
This morning, I read in Isaiah 57 how God “lives in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit.” On a day when we celebrate the greatness and independence of our nation, I wonder about the greatness that comes through the deep sorrow–the contrition–we feel over wrongdoing, […]
2 Recipes Worth Sharing for the 4th: Lemon-Blueberry Crumb Bars and Pulled Pork
Today, we make the Lemon-Blueberry Crumb Bar recipe that my mother-in-law discovered (she makes them sugar-free!). This kind of treat disappears within minutes; these bars are so delicious that you’ll want to stop reading this blog and make them right now. Here’s the link to Lemon-Blueberry Crumb Bars. Then, our family favorite for the 4th […]
She Claims It’s an Exploding Firework
My youngest and I bake a cake for our 4th of July preparations. She chooses strawberry frosting and then assaults the top of the cake with every kind of sprinkle we own. I’m about to reprimand her. I’m about to insist she be more careful, more organized, more logical about the decoration. She’s zealous about […]
A Time for Silence
All of June, I’ve felt that nudge from the Lord that something precious and important awaits in my silence. If you were to meet me in person, you would be laughing right now. You’d be slapping your thigh, nodding in sympathy, and saying sarcastically, “Yeah, right, Heather. You? Silent?” Ha ha ha. My friends say […]
First Time Ever
I sauté beet greens for the first time ever. Wash and Chop Beet Greens Sauté Beet Greens with Olive Oil and Lime Juice I add olive oil and lime juice. Here goes! I absolutely love them. Boiled Fresh Beets with Sauteed Greens I absolutely love that even after all this time of living, I still […]
Your Flying Leap
In the middle of the night, a raging storm rips through the valley. Loud thunder and blinding lightning wake us all. Normally in such conditions, my youngest will race down the stairs, burst through our bedroom door, and take a flying leap to land right into the middle of our bed. She’ll burrow down, wiggling […]