Many years for Lent I take on too many goals and give up too many things. A few days into Lent, I invariably realize I have failed at everything I planned to give up and take on.

We so rarely know what will be asked of us on any given day. All we can really do is accept each task as it’s placed in front of us.

Remember way back at the beginning of the pandemic when we were all jockeying for yeast and discussing sourdough starters? It seems like a distant memory. Lately, I feel I’m thinking more about which local restaurant I want to support tonight.

Welcome to the Year of the Ox.

I’ve been thinking just how much we all need to laugh right now.

Yesterday, many, many months since our last visit together, my friends and I decided to get together for a walk.

~1~ A few months ago, my husband installed Christmas lights on our back deck. We have always admired our neighbors’ string of multicolored lights on their back deck. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I look out our bedroom window and see theirs and think how cheerful and friendly they are. […]

It’s elegant and beautiful, covering the trees, spreading across the grass, and changing everything.

The other evening I couldn’t think of anything I wanted to eat. Then I opened the freezer and saw some bacon.

I have never considered buying a mandolin—neither the musical instrument nor the kitchen tool. But if I wanted to try to make this dish, I might as well do it right.