On Fridays, Kate gives a prompt for Five Minute Friday. We write for five minutes—and sometimes a little more. Today’s prompt is: OPPOSITE We are home now, after two and one-half weeks of traveling. We visited our son’s family in Albuquerque (two grandchildren) and our daughter’s family in Wichita (three…
Rosemary and thyme are flourishing in my garden. I am drying some for the winter, but also using it fresh. Rosemary and thyme flavor potatoes nicely. Here is a recipe that I have shared before. Ingredients 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, minced ¼ teaspoon…
My elderberries are beginning to ripen. The Johns elderberry bush ripens first, the Adams bushes ripen a few weeks later. Having a couple different varieties is beneficial for increased pollination and production of berries.. After picking each cluster of berries, clipping the stem behind the cluster, I bring them inside.…
In the last years of my Mom’s and my Dad’s life, they experienced memory loss. They struggled to remember names of friends and sometimes family members. But they remembered the words of hymns that they had sung over the years. There are hymns that linger in my memory, associated with…
During the summer it is wonderful to have fresh herbs from the garden. They are easy to grow! Stone Cottage Adventures has good information for growing herbs. I have perennial thyme and sage. Rosemary, basil, marjoram and oregano grow in pots. The herbs add flavor and nutrients to food. These…
Life on earth is an adventure. We experience both joy and sorrow. Sometimes we encounter very difficult challenges—illness within the family, loss of a job, tragedies caused by extreme weather, death of a loved one. My brother’s illness was a crisis in my family. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia when…
We live in a time when it is important to have a positive attitude, despite the divisiveness in our culture. Is it possible to engage in a productive discussion with someone that holds a viewpoint we can’t understand? Perhaps . . . I am reading a book that encourages curiosity, Faith for…
Two books that I have read recently were pleasant stories developed around historical figures. The stories wove historical facts and settings together. I could read a few chapters before bed and think about the characters. Mount Vernon Love Story by Mary Higgins Clark was first published in 1968 and republished in…
Let’s face it. A cherry tree in the backyard has pros and cons. This year the tree has produced an abundance of cherries. For five days I have been picking, pitting, freezing and canning cherries. I expect to see cherries in my dreams. Many of the cherries are perfect. But a…
Northern Finland is above the Artic Circle. During the summer, the sun never sets, skimming the horizon at night. The growing season is short, but the hours of sunlight are long. Wild flowers and berries flourish. My husband and I visited Finland during the summer and experienced the amazing hours…