In grad school, we couldn’t study community development without discussing the multiplier effect. An economic term, the multiplier effect is the increase in economic output that results from a capital infusion. We were taught that it’s a pretty big deal in small, locally-based economies, because of the amount of financial recirculation. That recirculation creates more […]
Vaccines & Asses
The opinion piece written by the doctor for the NY Times says there are four types of folks who are resisting the Covid vaccine: the Watchful, the Cost-Anxious, the System Distrusters, and Covid Skeptics.* None of these describes Ula. She was fine when each of us became eligible for the vaccine and she remained below […]
Spring Peepers
We’re rushing this afternoon, whispering encouragements to the pork to finish braising, washing bowls and spatulas as quickly as we dirty them, slamming utensils back onto their shelves and racks as fast as possible. There are more important places to be than prepping in the cafe when the light is like this, when the temperature […]
Quitting time?
I need to quit writing. Or at least quit writing so much. I blame Saoirse for this. Or the voices in my head. I kinda blame Dad. I definitely blame Kate. I get Kate’s message when Bob, the kids and I come out of the woods two weeks ago. We spent 24 hours in sylvan […]
Thoughts at 2am
A driving summer rain rousts us from bed at 2am on Wednesday. It snuffs the fireflies’ lanterns, plunging our twinkling hilltop into darkness as Bob and I scramble to close the windows around the house. He settles back to sleep within seconds. I’m wide awake, fretting about the future of our children. In the course […]
The Lost Chicken
Would you prefer that I read this story aloud for you? Happy to oblige! You can listen to the podcast version from The Hearth of Sap Bush Hollow here: Don’t forget how easy it is to lose a chicken. My inner voice whispers to me on New Years Day as Bob and I open the […]
Secrets for Thriving 40 Years on a Family Farm
Prefer that I read this story aloud for you? Happy to oblige! You can listen to the podcast version from The Hearth of Sap Bush Hollow here: Lamb stew for the weekend’s special simmers on the stove in the cafe kitchen as I walk over to the cash register and sign in to my meeting. […]
The Woman by the Water
Bob and I are standing with our arms around each other’s waist, watching the morning sunlight flit across Mallet Pond. We walked a few miles to get here this morning. That’s the only way a person can get in to this section of the state land. It is one of the most beautiful places in […]
Darned Life
My favorite purple sweater is turning green. It was one of Bob’s cast-offs. It went through the laundry a few years before we were even married, and came out of a hot wash fitting me perfectly. Like most old clothing, it has far more value than my new clothing, by virtue of the fact that […]