Unexpected Gifts and a Lesson (?) from the Garden

At the end of every summer, I spend time reflecting about my summer garden. I ask myself: What were the successes? The failures? What did I learn? How can I do better next year? Do I want to have a garden again next year? Lots of things to think about. Life is about reflection for…

What Kind of a House is This?

Travel has changed so much in the last decade. Think of it: with a few taps on your phone, you can rent someone’s home, room or even pitch a tent in their backyard; you can swap your home with someone else’s; you can rent someone’s car or hire someone to drive you around in their…

So Many Books, So Little Space … Time for an e-Reader?

I recently saw a great cartoon in The New Yorker. A man and a woman are standing in front of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and he says, “I never have time to read but if I did these are the books I’d read.” Yep! I can totally relate to that! I also have multiple bookshelves throughout the house…

2022 So Far – Reasons for Hope and Despair

The year has brought us both hope and despair. Just three months into the “new” year, we see new life and also the attempt to destroy a culture that has existed for centuries. There is a lot to stay updated on and informed about. These are what are on UnitedInFood’s heart and mind. On the…

Pixie’s 2022 Summer Garden Plans

I am hard at work planning my summer garden, are you? What are you going to plant? Do you have all your seeds, are you still ordering them from catalogs, or will you use starter plants and seedlings that you get from your local farmers market and garden stores? And me, you ask, what am…

The Long Welcome

In 2022, Pixie will be an Ambassador for Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (“LIRS”). You might say, tell me more about LIRS and we are so glad to! See the next paragraph below, and here is a link to their website: https://www.lirs.org. The LIRS Ambassador Network brings together people from all corners of the United…

Cardoons

While strolling through my little Farmers Market about fifteen years ago, I saw something in the distance that put a pep in my step and drew me in like a kitten to string. Standing in a bucket on the ground, a large bunch of tall, leafy stalks waved to me in the gentle breeze, their…

Sometimes Mistakes Are Made

I consider myself a decent home cook and my friends and family seem to truly enjoy the fruits of my labor. They just assume that everything I cook will turn out well and that is generally true – mostly because I do not serve them the mistakes … except my poor hubby who goes along…