The Sound of Crickets

Originally published at Women Not Dabbling by Gina   Autumn is my absolute favorite season. I like most of the others (even winter!), but fall in the Midwest ranks the highest in my heart. Years ago, I turned in my area’s distinct season changes for the sameness of the American desert southwest. Though I truly [...]

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“Making Do” (but without the payment)

Deciding which car to replace my 2001 diesel vw bug with was difficult —I loved that car. I mean, it was a really cute car, got fabulous gas mileage at 40 to 45 mpg, and made all the little kids smile when they saw it. But like that old saying of all good things must [...]

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Lyndon’s Jam

Originally published at Women Not Dabbling by Gina I was going to share the Concord Grape Pie recipe this week, but I think this is better. One, I know I am not the only one neck high in apple and pear preservation (and I see more apples ripening on the trees as we speak). Two, [...]

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I Fancy Myself a Victorian Naturalist

Originally published at Women Not Dabbling by Gina   Terrarium is one of those words that just doesn’t flow smoothly out from my mind and into my vocal cords. I have to stop myself and speak the word slowly because I always want to say “terranium”. Nevertheless, I love terrariums whether I say it correctly [...]

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Trust the Weather, Man

  (Cauldron Ridge Farm II, February 2008) This is weird. I usually write these on Sunday nights, polish them up on Monday evening and publish before I leave for work on Tuesday morning. I wrote the bulk of this post last night (Sunday) while canning. This morning, I logged into my email account and saw [...]

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Against the Grain Kind of Normal

Originally published at Women Not Dabbling by Gina I’m Gina. I have always thrived in the midst of challenge. Here is my nutshell story: All my life I have skirted the conventional. I don’t think this was exactly intentional, just that I felt different, liked different, and, thus, surrounded myself with different. My parents used [...]

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