Current national and world events have me looking at some of my writing from Azerbaijan and Togo in a new light. At the time, 2006–8 and 2009–11, I was serving, through the Peace Corps, as a representative of the great United States of America. I personally wasn’t sure the U.S. was all that great, but…
Blog
Dock Seed Crackers
I learned about the dock plant this year, and have been interested to watch it as it has grown up in various patches in our yard. Currently, it is reaching upward, showing off its deep purple/brown seeds, which, I discovered, like the rest of the plant, are edible! I decided to gather some and make…
Jesse
I was captivated by the Janis Ian song “Jesse” recently and inspired to make a recording and video. The theme seems especially fitting during these pandemic times when so many are pining and isolated. Thanks to my daughter for the camera help!
This Full, Empty Time
June and I have been foraging from the backyard, feeling glad to have an abundance of edible weeds. Violet leaves and flowers, mainly, dandelion leaves and flowers (though we don’t have too many), and now, garlic mustard and dead purple nettle, which we were thrilled to discover does taste like stinging nettle when sauteed. When…
Kitchen & Pantry Management in the Time of COVID-19
I have been trying to go to the grocery store as little as possible in light of COVID-19, which has entailed some new strategies in the kitchen and pantry that I thought might be useful to some of you. First, I noticed that a significant amount of space in the freezer was taken up by…
Keeping Unscheduled, On Purpose
I keep reading people recommending sticking to a schedule as a way to get through the home-bound time of coronavirus, but I beg to differ. Sure, I think it’s important to get enough sleep, so I could see sticking to a bedtime and wake-up routine, but overall, I find that not having a schedule is…
Ever Wanted to Join the Peace Corps? Now You Can—from Home!
For the first time in its history, Peace Corps has evacuated all volunteers from their posts and is temporarily suspending operations. On one hand, this is terrible, as it interrupts projects, severs relationships, and makes the greed, irrationality, and xenophobia of the Trump administration the face of America instead of open-minded and well-meaning volunteers. On…
Toilet Paper Fixation
In the face of a potential quarantine, people are understandably worried and trying their best to be prepared. I find it comical, and sad, however, that running out of toilet paper is the idea that worries folks in our country most. As if, they could survive without food, but not without toilet paper? When I…
Taking the “Night Plane”
Before I go to sleep at night, I put my phone on airplane mode in an attempt to limit exposure to harmful radiation and rest undisturbed. I was recently going back through some of my notes and video from Togo and saw that avions de nuit, or “night planes” (also called sky cars in the…
The New Antiquated Feeling of Keyboarding
I only started relying on using my phone’s microphone for Google searches and giving commands like playing a certain radio station or podcast a few months ago, and it’s only been a few weeks since I’ve discovered the ease of writing and responding to text messages using only the microphone. But I’m hooked. So much…