We’re all familiar with the learning curve – that slow, hiccuping start we get off to when we tackle a new task. The period where we suck at something, which is the necessary preamble to the period where we kick ass at something. I’ve watched my two-year-old son wobble, fall, and falter hundreds of times…
We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. -Cynthi Ozick Tomorrow is one of my favorite holidays, when many of us gather to celebrate food, family, and friends. Almost 400 years ago, 50 English Colonists and more than 90 Wampanoag Indians started the tradition when they shared an autumn harvest…
“Maybe we should get the car fixed,” I mutter to my husband as icy rain pelts my face It’s a pitch-black, moonless evening. It feels more like midnight than 5:30. We’re on our way to a birthday dinner for my husband’s colleague, pedaling onto a bike bridge that crosses a busy street. Below us cars…
I love cold weather, but the shorter days are always difficult for me to adjust to. Over the years I’ve stored up a toolbox of activities to make cold, winter nights more fun. I find myself especially in need of them in the days and weeks after the time changes. 1. Eat by candlelight We…
Resourcefulness – (n.) The ability to come up with clever ways to solve a problem. The bad economy hasn’t been easy for my family, or for many of my friends and neighbors. But these lean times are forcing many of us to hone an incredibly useful skill: resourcefulness. In the last few years, my husband…
Bartering is downright hip right now. Last February I wrote an article about a traditional Belgian waffle house, where the owners have accepted acupuncture, massage, plumbing, a trumpet, art, and yard rakes in lieu of cash. They also erected a giant bulletin board next to their counter, where customers can make exchanges with each other….