on a clear day …

I may be delusional but the house seems to look spiffier when the sky is blue. So here are a few updated photos. It will look even better when the slate is in, I think.

tested … but not by crucible or fire (just feels like it)

In the last day or two I’ve been reflecting on life and my place in it. I had a little flu so I actually had time to ponder. Right now, with so many things and people competing for attention, I’m feeling lost. My soul feels that loss very powerfully.
Can your soul suffer spirit-deprivation? I am pretty [...]

nearing the finish line

Day 127. Here are some before and after shots, along with a close up of the paint color (the first one). We’re very nearly there … just some additional electrical work, a little concrete work, the slate tile porch and walk, landscaping and new hardware on the garage doors still to come in the next [...]

it can be pretty easy being green

From the Orlando Sentinel (originally from the Chicago Trib) comes a handy article on easy ways to go green:
www.orlandosentinel.com/features/consumer/orl-bk-greenliving011407,0,5124760.story?coll=orl-caltop
50 simple tips from a year of living the green life
Karen Klages, Tribune staff reporter
Photovoltaics on the roof. Geothermal heating under-ground. Spiffy dual-flush toilets all about.
This wasn’t the nature of our eco-mania.
Here are 50 of the best [...]

clean out the cupboards soup

I was cleaning out the pantry and the fridge and proved that a) chicken broth never goes bad if unopened in the original wax container and b) anyone can cook with just about anything.
In this age of economic despair and ensuring little waste, here is my version of cupboard soup.
One half a bag of frozen [...]

green suds?

Five years ago, I wasn’t at all environmentally aware. I liked the environment, naturally (unless asked to camp out in it), but I did not understand the impact of everyday decisions on its long-term sustainability. Truth be told, I’m still learning — and amazed at all there is to discover about how we can mitigate our [...]

tomato florentine soup

2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can chopped stewed tomatoes
1 (12 fluid ounce) can tomato-vegetable juice cocktail
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
1 pinch ground nutmeg
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup [...]

renovation time in dog years

As the new year starts, my “30- to 45-day — even if it rains every day” exterior renovation (enclose garage, add porch, move doors and windows) is nearing its 124-day finish line. It’s like dog years.
Those of you following the New York Times’ Dream Home Diaries blog/saga of Paul Brown and Alison Davis may find [...]

the road not taken? there’s still time

Happy new year! Psychologists point out that, at the end of the day, we regret what we’ve not done more than what we have done. An intriguing article in the New York Times, in fact, demonstrates through research that we can live in one of three realities: the deeply regretful, bitter, blame-filled world; the carefree, [...]