I first learned of the Japanese concept of Wabi Sabi many years ago. It is a tool for contemplation, or a philosophy of life, that finds beauty in things that are impermanent, imperfect, and incomplete. In other words, it’s the notion that patina; wear and tear; chips, cracks, and fissures; assymetry; flaws; and defects actually…
*I’m taking the week off for my birthday. This post was originally published back in March. I’ll be back with new posts next week, including an update to the Hen Diaries. We’ve had some dramatic ups and downs in chicken-keeping lately, which I can’t wait to share.* Every year I used to buy a pocket…
I expected much of what my son did during his first year – rolling over, sitting, that thrilling first word (“mama”!), those awful restless nights of teething. But nothing prepared me for the sheer craziness and hilarity of living with a sixteen month old. Lately Ezra delights in moving things from one container to another….
Last June I had a baby – a puffy-faced cherub, whose eyes stayed shut for most of the day as he slept and suckled. Now I have a little boy, who scoots across the room, swinging on one arm, sending toys and newspapers and whatever else is in his path flying. He piles his toys…
A review of: Living Outside the Box: TV-Free Families Share Their Secrets by Barbara Brock Published by Eastern Washington University Press, 2007 The statistics about television-watching in America should concern everyone: The TV is on for 6 hours and 47 minutes a day in the average house. The average person watches more than 4 hours…
We arrive late to our parenting group, slip in the side door, and hurry to the last two seats in the circle. I set eight-month-old Ezra on the floor. He happily chews on a jar lid, as I nod at a few of the other parents. I imagine my husband or I handed Ezra the…