In our effort to reduce the waste we create, making our own laundry soap. We used natural, biodegradable liquid soap before from plastic tubs that we always meant to refill in bulk somewhere but never did. Though the plastic tubs liquid soap comes in are technically recyclable, most recycling programs (even very good ones) do not [...]
Wednesday was my birthday, and I could do anything I wanted. So I thought about it and thought about it. But I couldn’t think of anything I wanted more than to do what I always do on a Wednesday.
We had the same breakfast we always do (some combination of oatmeal, eggs, toast, yogurt and granola). [...]
Today was the first day of spring. I would show you proof, but I can’t upload pictures just now, so you will have to take my word for it. Yesterday we woke to clouds and ice. Today we woke to sun and thaw. The seven-day weather forecast predicts day after day of thaw and thaw [...]
It’s been more than a week since I’ve shampooed, and I might never shampoo again. I like my hair. For the first time. Ever.
I was inspired by my friend, Bri. Sixth months ago, she talked about stopping shampooing, but I didn’t know until recently that she went through with it (her hair never looked greasy, [...]
In December of 2006, I loved Adam, but I did not know that I would marry him. I did not know that for another two weeks. So, when I saw him spinning his gifts into tidy little cloth-wrapped packages, I made sure to save the pictorial guide he used to my computer. It is still [...]
The most appealing daily schedule I know is that of a turn-of-the-century Danish aristocrat. He got up at four and set out on foot to hunt black grouse, wood grouse, woodcock, and snipe. At eleven he met his friends, who had also been out hunting alone all morning. They converged “at one of these babbling [...]
We got a little bit of both, the snow and the market. We even got two almond croissants. But my favorite part was the market, and my favorite part of the market was picking up the beef I ordered, and my favorite part of picking up the beef was purchasing this unsettling tongue- so big, [...]
When Reed woke from napping and the sun cooled, my bare-legged baby and I took to the streets, pacifier, keys, and tree manual in hand. I can’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon. While we were out learning to spot hawthorns, black ash, and red river birch, we checked in on some [...]
It’s a cold, rainy May day in Southern Wisconsin. We spent most of the day inside, venturing only a few blocks to get ingredients for a spontaneous pot of soup. I thought my days of hunkering down under wool blankets were done until autumn, but I am glad I didn’t pack away our scarves.
On the [...]
Number 100- Dandelion Wine Part 1
Step 1: Wake up before sunrise on a very warm morning and open all the windows. At 7:00, when the baby wakes up and you are so happy to see him, note that this is the time the air smells best on hot days. The sun is warming up the [...]