It seems no matter where I have lived, when winter comes, I have been plagued with a mouse taking up residence in my house. The stories of me vs. mice are legend. One time in NY, I had left a box of white powder sugar donuts on the kitchen counter. I was in the living [...]
3. February 2010
Reflections on a birthday
Well today marks the entry of another year of living for me. I had to make a visit to the Department of Motor Vehicles to renew my license and photo. They now require like 10 forms of ID to assure them you are a legal resident and not an illegal alien or terrorist. I was [...]
31. January 2010
Refreshing Citrus Paradisi!
I always look forward to when citrus is in season, in particular Grapefruit. Grapefruit is much maligned by some because of its tartness, but I absolutely love eating a fresh grapefruit each morning. I mean really, how could you say anything bad about a fruit whose botanical name is “Citrus Paradisi?” The name alone sounds [...]
23. January 2010
Vanilla’s Fated Lovers
Today the word vanilla is often used to describe something as plain, boring or maybe even bland. However, the history of vanilla is anything but! Vanilla comes from a tropical orchid and was first cultivated by the pre-Columbian Totonac people of Mexico. Totonac mythology told a story of the goddess Princess Xanat who ran off [...]
16. January 2010
Soap…it’s a simple lifesaver
Today I decided to make a batch of lemongrass soap. While I was stirring the batch I started thinking about the earthquake in Haiti. I could not even begin to imagine what it would be like to lose my home, a friend or family member, or even a limb in an earthquake. As I wondered [...]
7. February 2010
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