No Candy from Strangers

I am exhausted.  Please forgive any typos.
Shoveled about 600lbs. of horse manure this morning–that was just the loading part.  The picnic bench ramp worked pretty well, though the wind almost tipped me and the full wheelbarrow off a couple times.  I sunburned my nose, as my hat kept blowing off, so finally I just put [...]

Free Sh*t!

…and I mean that quite literally.
I was out in the gardens this morning, and I saw our country neighbor, Kathy, go by.  She has horses.  Therefore, she has sh*t.  I waved at first, and then remembering her sh*t, I ran into the road, waving my arms madly, hoping she’d stop.
No dice.
So, I put the dog [...]

Local Contractor/Jack-of-all-Trades Needed!

Here’s an economic stimulus package for ya!
I need to hire someone with the skills to finish my bathroom this summer. I don’t have the time or skills to do it myself, and I’m tired of living with a crummy half-finished bathroom.
Here’s what it entails:
Replacing my tub backsplash and faucet fixtures. That might include [...]

Perfect Stovetop Rice Technique

I was doing a bit of blog-hopping this morning, and I came across a recipe for dal that looked fantastic.  But, in the notes, the author recommended serving it with rice, and she also recommended that everyone who likes rice should buy a rice cooker.
My house is about 940 square feet.  My kitchen is one [...]

The Art Of Eating–M.F.K. Fisher

Just read an article on Slate about the extravagant cost of most recipes you’ll find online and in newer cookbooks.  The article references one of my all-time favorite tomes from one of my all-time favorite authors: M.F.K. Fisher’s The Art of Eating.
I first encountered this volume, which is a collection of five books between two [...]

Starting Sweet Potatoes

It’s a sunny, albeit chilly Saturday morning, and I finally worked my way through all the final paper critiques in my composition classes as of yesterday’s snowy afternoon, while making a thick stew of roasted sweet potato, Lundberg Old World pilaf, and local bacon.
The rich sweetness of the orange-fleshed tuber made me remember I had [...]

The Morning After

It snowed pretty much all day yesterday (see previous post).  Now, it’s pretty much gone.
Ahh, the southern paradise of the Dakotas.

You Have Got to be Kidding

At 9am, it was raining.  Now this.

Anyone else starting to think Mother Nature’s sense of humor might be a little twisted?

Eat More Kale! (Spring Garden Pics)

I shamelessly stole this title from one of my favorite Nikki McClure artworks–in her 2006 calendar for March.  This Red Russian kale plant survived the winter in my home garden–having sprouted last year from a batch of old seed I tossed in the bed on the north side of my house.
What I love so much [...]

VAAC Special Election

The Vermillion Area Arts Council is holding a special election for a new Board of Directors now that the transitional board has passed an amendment to the ByLaws to make that election possible.
A list of the candidates:
Judy Zwolak
Harry Scholten
Noah Iacino
Caitlin Collier
Micah Wonnenberg
Steve Merryman
Deana Fuller
Gail Bickel
Norma Wilson
Roger Jeck
Teri Davenport
The mailing I received does give a paragraph [...]