For The Joy Of Animals: Mouse Maid
Apparently, Cinderella isn't the only one with a mouse helper. So Handy and compact -- may be having a mouse maid will become the next little thing...
Growing Designer Snowflakes
There is something magical and compelling in the delicate artistry of snowflakes. It’s as if nature decided to show off one of its finest creations in a study of contrasts and contradictions. After all, how can snowflakes fall at a … Read more...
Grain-Free French Bread Worth Sharing
I think every one would agree the best time to eat bread is fresh from the oven. So I generally double this recipe for grain-free french bread. The first loaf we slather with butter and enjoy as soon as it … Read more...
A Simple, But Luscious Four-Ingredient Lotion
Dry skin is the bane of winter. But January is the time to try new things. So…
If you are tired of using skincare products with a long list of ingredients that you’ve never heard of and have no idea … Read more...
Can We Ever Feel Too Valuable?
We all have an innate need to be valued in life — to feel we are valuable as individuals and as members of our community and to feel that our contributions are worthy and appreciated. But can we ever feel too valuable?
Beautiful And Cute But Still Voracious Predators
If something is beautiful or cute we tend to think of it as friendly, happy or, at the very least, benign. But few things look and act that simply.
Words: “The World Of The Individual Person…”
Recently, Pew Research asked thousands of Americans where they find meaning in life. Instead of presenting group responses, they highlighted the wonderful responses and stories from the world of the individual person. It reminded me that:
Everything of value … Read more...
What Are Your Favorite Fall Flavors?
What flavors do you associate with fall?
For me, the ones that immediately come to mind are apple, cinnamon, caramel, ginger, cranberry, and pumpkin. Baking with these flavors will make your house smell delicious and give you that warm, comforting … Read more...
Then The Giant Wasps Came
The odds were running high against the young Kohlrabi plants from the start. They were an impulse buy spurred on by my childhood memories of eating them raw and fresh peeled from my grandmother’s garden. I love Kohlrabi’s sweet cabbagey … Read more...
Forget Their Shoes — Ask and Listen!
The often quoted standard procedure for gaining empathy and understanding is to imagine ourselves in another person’s shoes. But recent research by Tal Eyal, Mary Steffel, & Nicholas Epley (2018) suggests that stepping into another’s shoes and taking their perspective … Read more...
Would Your Ideal Americans be — Honest, Kind, Strong, and Responsible?
These days, it is kind of hard not to believe the great American divide is all around us. As proof we are bombarded daily with endless examples of a society divided by class, race, gender, politics, finances… And not to … Read more...
Favorite Recipes Where Fresh Basil Shines
Basil is a herb that really shines when it’s fresh.
Just think of a homemade marinara sauce with fresh basil and the flavor it imparts to the sauce. Beyond those familiar dishes we most associate with basil (tomato sauce, pizza, … Read more...
Here’s To Your Liberty And Mine
While your liberty and mine can take many different forms, may we ever embrace and strive towards an ideal of liberty where all people have the right, the power, and the ability to choose…
… Read more...“Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according
Book Review: PECULIAR SAVAGE BEAUTY by Jessica McCann
In Jessica McCann’s PECULIAR SAVAGE BEAUTY you get a front-row view of the horrors of the American Dust Bowl. Your skin will sting with torrents of dust, your eyes will burn from the grit, your heart will race. Yes, you … Read more...
Book Review: THE WEIGHT OF INK by Rachel Kadish
THE WEIGHT OF INK by Rachel Kadish is one of those books that, when you close its covers upon reading the final pages, you know you’ve read something special. It is also the kind of book that, days later, sinks … Read more...
Words To Live By: “Nature Brings Solace In All Troubles”
Within her diary, first published as THE SECRET ANNEX and later published as THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL, Anne Frank expresses her belief in the healing power of nature — “amidst the simple beauty of nature…will always be comfort … Read more...
Book Review: THE RIVER OF KINGS by Taylor Brown
Wow! What a fascinating book written with absolutely gorgeous, transporting prose.
I tend to enjoy dual-period books, but THE RIVER OF KINGS by Taylor Brown actually is a rare treat in that it weaves a third period into the storyline, … Read more...
Pondering The Possibilities: Repeal of Whopper Neutrality
Have you heard of “Net Neutrality”? What about “Whopper Neutrality”?
Back in December of 2017, the Federal Communications Commission voted to overturn regulations mandating net neutrality. Net Neutrality was one of those things that too many of us took for … Read more...
Words: ” No Wealth In The World Can Help Humanity Forward …”
How do we help humanity forward? When we value the wrong things, then we focus on the wrong things. And, of course, we create the wrong things.
Not the things that we most need…
As Albert Einstein explained in THE … Read more...
Pondering The Possibilities: Male Cat Birthing Coach
The idea of a male cat birthing coach seems to go against everything we think we know or have been taught to think about the nature of human vs animal behavior.
… Read more...Humanity — 1) compassionate, sympathetic, or generous behavior or
A Christmas Cookie Tradition of “Wait Until Christmas Eve”
When my children were very little, I began our Christmas cookie tradition. It was simple then – just a few cookies: chocolate chip, peanut butter kisses, and sugar cookies — cut into snowmen, angels and bells. Each year, I added … Read more...
Have You Discovered Rutabagas?
I have. For years I bought and cooked the same vegetables. Now that I am interested in a healthier diet, I have discovered a whole new world and I am willing to try vegetables I have never eaten before.
The … Read more...
Pickled Mixed Vegetables For The Holidays
The holidays will be here soon and pickled veggies will add just the right touch when entertaining.
Just about any vegetable — and some fruits — can be pickled. All you need is vinegar, water, sugar, salt and some dry … Read more...
Words: “Where Human Beings Grow Human Souls …”
Where do we find our courage, our strength, our resiliency, our compassion…
Ursula K. Le Guin explained in her Mills College Commencement address, 1983 (excerpt):
… Read more...“Because you are human beings you are going to meet failure. You are going to
Series Review: THE GOOD PLACE
Every now and then a tv show surprises me in an unexpectedly good way. A recent Netflix binge brought me, happily, to THE GOOD PLACE!
While our lives often seem like a twisted series of moral dilemmas (and then we … Read more...