When I was growing up, napkins were made of paper. Sometimes they were just paper towels folded in half, or even a tissue box in the middle of the table. In my mind, cloth napkins were for beautiful French countryside kitchens, for people with tons of money and marble countertops and mortar and pestles. Then…
small things in a great way
Today was one of those days where I never left the kitchen. Sometimes, there are those days where I never leave but I accomplish so much, but today was not one of those. I cleaned up from pancakes. I made bread dough. I made granola. I did my dishes. I put snacks into bowls…
the fall of the garden
I went into the garden tonight. I went with the intention of doing those things I’ve been telling myself I need to do–pull the zinnias, squash, and tomatoes; try my best with the weeds, prepare a bed for garlic. But instead, I couldn’t help but just sit there and love it. The work can wait,…
mint in the water
I’m back from my room. There are two sides of the coin when it comes to talking about the process of trying to actually create something, or maybe 3 or 4 sides, as when I’m talking about writing, the metaphor is bound to break down, sooner or later. There are some people who can talk…
crock pot greek yogurt
When I talk about my yogurt maker, I usually encounter one of two reactions. The first is, “Oh my, I need one of those now! I’m off to buy my very own,” or better yet, (and just as often) someone will admit that they actually have a yogurt maker gathering dust in the back of…
Occasionally I teach workshops, and I have one coming up this fall. Join me and stellar novelist 