I recently bought a book I’ve been looking forward to reading. Then I realized, to my dismay… It’s written in present tense. Not She said, but She says. Not he walked into the room, but he walks into the room. It’s like trying to read a 90,000-word joke… “A priest walks into a bar…” But part of being a writer—and a reader—is learning to ride the wave of current literary trends. Because this shit changes, y’all. Accepted norms of language and grammar and spelling do change over time. This situation causes serious chafing for some of us who cling to the rules we have adhered to for our whole li ..read more

Born and raised in south Alabama (a Girl Raised in the South), I never thought I’d be living in Hawaii. I never even felt the desire to come here on vacation. But when we got off the plane in Honolulu, I was struck by the fact that even the AIR feels different on the Islands. Lighter, cleaner, with some indefinable energy that seems to change you on a molecular level as you breathe it. The air here is soft, filled with molecules of water from the Pacific Ocean. More than 50% of the human body is water. And with every breath, we’re incorporating the invigorating energy of that immense, always ..read more

Tonight, for my dinner I ate a cold piece of chicken standing up in the kitchen, because my Granddogters are beggars. I usually edit as I type, and as I typed this sentence, my mind had already found fault with its obvious flaw before I typed the words in my head. But then I kept typing, because how obvious is it, really? (How many of you chuckled at the thought of a chicken standing up in the kitchen? Probably nobody.) Okay, sorry. I was telling a story, then swerved to avoid a squirrel. Drives my husband crazy. But he’s the King of Tangential Storytelling, so he can’t complain. (Although he ..read more

Okay, y’all know that I’m allergic to most of the Big Eight food allergens, a condition that causes me to get very creative in the kitchen. Breakfast is a big challenge. I’m effing tired of oatmeal and granola, so this week I tried to see if I could put a new spin on an old favorite, and it worked! It was easy too. Here’s what I used: 1 cup of uncooked Jasmine rice 2 cups of water A half-teaspoon of salt One can of coconut milk (the kind for cooking, not the kind for drinking—check out the photo of ingredients). One stick of cinnamon A sprinkling of fennel seeds A splash (or a few) of coconut ..read more

What is a pendulum, anyway? Pendulums are a cool way to point yourself in the right direction when you’re not sure which way to go. A pendulum is a way of opening the door from your conscious mind to the subconscious mind and your innate intuition. You can use a pendulum to help you make decisions, find lost things, and answer random questions. Just about anything can be used as a pendulum. If you don’t have a pendulum handy, a necklace with a pendant, or even a set of car keys hanging from a key fob will do. A pendulum can be as simple as a rock tied to a piece of string. An actual pendulum i ..read more

Image by kroshka__nastya on Freepik Okay, first of all, stop being so dramatic. That’s your cat’s job. Your cat doesn’t hate you. If they’re indifferent, then you’re in trouble. But if they hate / love you, you’re okay. Yes, cats can be drama queens. The least little thing can have them hissing, scratching, and biting not only the subject of their ire, but anyone and everyone else within reach. Cats definitely know how to make a point. They can be hateful, but it doesn’t mean they hate you. And I hesitate to say this, because I know you don’t want to hear it, but it’s true: Cats can be loving ..read more

Image by Freepik At 4:00 a.m., roosters from my neighborhood and beyond start talking to one another. Singing up the sun, is what I’ve heard it called, and I believe it. I can imagine that roosters the world over are all connected, singing across the wind and the waves while the sun decides whether it wants to rise and shine on another day. Every rooster has his own voice, his own call, a sound that is uniquely his. Some say cock-a-doodle-do. Others say Oodle-oodle-oooh. Others say Urdle-urdle-ew. There’s one nearby who just makes a trumpeting sound with no syllables at all. My first few morni ..read more

You know how it is: You buy that celery, those onions, the package of stoplight bell peppers with the best intentions. Then on Monday you feel like ordering Pizza, on Tuesday you eat out instead of cooking, Wednesday’s pasta carries over into leftovers on Thursday, and before you know it, the celery is limp as cooked spaghetti, the onions are getting soft, and the bell peppers are somewhat shriveled. Now it’s the weekend, and you know it’s a crime to throw out food you didn’t use. Wilted Weekend Curry to the rescue! I’ve always loved curry but thought it would be too hard to make. Then I star ..read more

To be honest, dogs don’t think anything at all about Valentine’s Day. (Unless they happen to get into a heart-shaped box of chocolate candy. Then, Valentine’s Day ends with stomach cramps and a vet visit and takes on a completely different meaning.) In general, though, Valentine’s Day isn’t one of those holidays that dogs notice. Like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and Grandparents’ Day and Secretaries’ Day—and all those other days that someone invented to stimulate the economy—Valentine’s Day is just another day to most dogs. Christmas, dogs notice. How could they not, when their humans start ..read more

I love simple recipes that only have a few ingredients. Here’s one for your canine pals that only has 4 ingredients! Combine in a bowl: 1 cup flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free baking flour mix.) 1 cup mashed (cooked) or fresh grated carrots ½ cup apple sauce or finely chopped apple. 1 egg  Roll the dough into balls and press flat on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, then bake at 350-degrees until golden brown. The post Valentine’s Day Dog Treats: Easy Apple Carrot Cookies for Dogs appeared first on Babette de Jongh ..read more