Category: Making a Home

  • 070 Kitchen catch-up chaos

    070 Kitchen catch-up chaos

    Things had been piling up. Now that I was finally able to do things again, it was time to tackle them. So, I canned potatoes, baked some bread, and took care of a million little things. I am so glad, I can finally do things again. Okay, there are a lot of things I need…

  • 069 Almost feeling human

    069 Almost feeling human

    After ten days of the flu, pneumonia, and antibiotic side-effect bingo, I was finally able to move enough to feel human again. As I was craving potato salad, I made mayonnaise from scratch, and mixed a pretty good German potato salad together. My husband and Pepper also checked on the garden for us and found…

  • 068 Hands in soil

    068 Hands in soil

    I finally got my hands into soil. It’s been a long winter. But spring is coming. In the meantime, let’s re-pot some plants. Some of my indoor plants have been pretty unhappy. Spring will bring more sunshine. I can’t do anything about that. But I could give them better soil to work with in the…

  • 067 Grumpy productivity

    067 Grumpy productivity

    There are days, when the couch is my reluctant base station. A few minutes of getting things done, then rest. And rest some more. In a state of grumpy productivity, I still got a lot done. There are days, when the couch is my reluctant base station. A few minutes of getting things done, then…

  • 066 Early signs of spring

    066 Early signs of spring

    I am excited to clean up this mess. Seriously, I’m looking forward to carrying trash around. The end of winter is coming closer. I can hardly wait. The last storm took down a jar I’d forgotten even existed. I spotted it when Pepper and I went to check on the garden after another really bad…

  • 065 Missing dull knives

    065 Missing dull knives

    I miss my dull knives. I sent my knives in for sharpening, so I’ll be without for a few weeks. I had to get creative in the kitchen–and learned to appreciate even very dull knives. I know, I am holding what looks like a knife while I’m telling you I miss my knives. We have…

  • 063 Shades of white

    063 Shades of white

    I’ve been longing for some light and color in my life. With the outside world stuck in dark, cold, and shades of white and gray, I did the next best things. I recently learned that bee’s wax burns best after a few months of rest for the candles. So far, I’d made the candles whenever…

  • 061 The stupid machine

    061 The stupid machine

    With the snow returned, I focus on projects indoors. Fast walks through the forest are all I can bear while it is this cold. But I’ve been complaining enough. It’s time to pull myself out of my winter funk, no matter the weather. I often start my day with tea. Today, there are no tea…

  • 060 The darkest days

    060 The darkest days

    The darkest days of winter can get pretty dark in Northern Germany. For me, the darkest days are the hardest. Without regular doses of real sunshine, I struggle. Where we live, the shortest days of the year have fewer than 7.5 hours of daylight. Seeing the sky is rare–and tends to come with strong winds.…