My son starts kindergarten this fall. And we got a nice big gift from his school last week … all of his textbooks and workbooks and necessary school items for the entire year!
Thanks to modern technology, he’ll be attending kindergarten from the comfort and convenience of my home office!
Now hold on a minute … don’t judge! Continue reading
Grandpa Watts on the farm in Minnesota, 1940s
Our pioneer ancestors depended on seeds to survive and earn a living. For my farmer grandfather, and many generations of farmer ancestors before him, seeds were central to their survival. Without seeds, there would be no crops, no income, no food, no livestock, no future as a farmer. Continue reading
Ever thought about the foods our pioneer ancestors ate, and ancient people before them? Foods from 100+ years ago. Or long before that. Foods that have been on our earth for centuries. Compare that to the “food” we put into our bodies for decades before we woke up to the idea of eating real food.
Sketch by Sidney E. King
Meals in the past Continue reading
A big gathering of friends & family for a festive meal.
From “Little House in the Big Woods”
by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Sketch by Garth Williams.
I love inviting my friends over for dinner, potluck style! Reminds me of the big, southern, family reunion meals we had when I was growing up … or of yummy church dinners.
And you know what’s great about these “family dinners,” as I call them? Everyone brings something!
In this economy, it’s a great way to have a dinner party. It’s also a great way to accommodate a variety of food allergies or preferences.
Food themes are always fun for potluck parties. Here are a few that have been successful: Continue reading
I love this photo of my Uncle Wayne and Grandpa Watts spending a quiet evening on the farm in Minnesota … around the mid-1950s. When did our modern world of entertainment get so complicated and technical? Why are we so busy?
I’ve heard of Meatless Mondays and Wordless Wednesdays … let’s go for Simple Sundays (or the day of your choice) and have an evening of unplugged entertainment once a week. What a great example to set for our kids!
The simple life. It’s good for the soul!
For the longest time, I felt guilty that I didn’t have a compost pile. I thought it was a lot of work and a stinky mess.
Source: grownyc.org
While I’m always looking for ways to live closer to the land, I also need to live simply. Continue reading
Don’t you just love the colors of this breakfast? Continue reading
Our backyard chickens recently began laying eggs, and this is the recipe we used with their very first eggs and some bounty from our container garden. Delicious! Continue reading
This is so exciting! Not sure who’s more thrilled … the 5-year-old or me!
Starr, Dorie & Honey
Our girls are 4 months old. I knew they were close by the “squatting” when we get close and the extra squawking. They’ve been super-friendly — wanting to be near us when they’re out of the coop rather than celebrate their indepen- dence and flutter away.
So as I checked their coop yesterday around noon, there were two beauties someone had left for us: Continue reading
This has been my best year yet for my container veggie-and-herb garden. At least it started out great.
Container garden in the spring.
Here in Florida, the soil is super-sandy. Hard to grow anything in it and hard to improve it. I tried for three years, then gave up and went almost 100% to containers. Continue reading
Modern Pioneer Mom 