“Are you the architect of this experience?” I look over my shoulder for the person to whom my guest is referring, perhaps a man in a crisp shirt with a roll of blueprints under his arm. But it’s closing time. The cafe has emptied out for the day. He gestures at my chef’s coat. “This […]
Lessons from the Not-So-Happy Homemakers
I received a letter from a reader, Landon, last week that’s prompting this week’s post: He writes: I read your blog post about Coronavirus and saw how every choice you made focused on your community, and then saw how every tier of your Patreon included some kind of giving to the community. Why do you […]
Life Insurance
I can’t predict the future. Does that mean I have to sell my soul? My fingers are gliding over the bindings of the books in the the stacks of the library. I have a half hour to kill before I head over to the small business management night class I’m taking. In recent months, I’ve […]
I am not sorry.
For Halloween this year, Saoirse dressed as a flapper. Ula dressed up as a vampiress from Venice. I went as Frantic Mother. I’ve worn that costume for over a decade now. But this was the first year I actually realized I was clothed in it. It was early October when I finally started to figure […]
The Pressure Canner
Farming and radical homemaking are great lifestyle choices….If you can avoid these pitfalls. It’s one o’clock in the morning. I’m walking through the kitchen, on my way to letting Nikki and Dusky out. After that, I need to draft the farm newsletter for the week. The moonlight streams in on the kitchen table, blanketed with […]
Duct Tape
How I got duct tape in my hair. And why I’m leaving it there. Shannon Hayes It is two o’clock Saturday morning. Yes, I should be sleeping. The kids are sleeping down at the farm with Grammie and Pop Pop. Bob and I need to leave for our farmers’ market at 6:30. But I’m sitting in […]
The Big Fat Smackdown
I thought if we did everything right, we wouldn’t face the same troubles as everyone else. I’m so thankful I was wrong. I am standing in line in front of an inflatable bounce house next to a DJ’s screaming speakers at a fundraising event on the SUNY Albany campus. I am a place holder for Saoirse, […]
How I earned my pets’ respect
I thought I just needed to take care of the animals, like I take care of everything else. Then I learned the importance of sitting still. I am sitting in my office, the room lit only by firelight. Dusky, my Poodle-Yorkie-Mongrel, is sprawled across my lap. Ramona, my cat, mews her greeting and hops up […]
When Society Meets Super-Girl
I woke in the middle of Sunday night under the oppressive heat of two sweaty and hot bodies piled on top of me. Mom and Dad are gone on vacation, so Bob is sleeping down at the farm all this week. Knowing I am quick to pass out in bed at the end of each […]