Once upon a time, I said my bathroom curtains were the "grooviest curtains I ever saw."  Well, I just outdid myself.  I created an even groovier set of curtains!  It is almost bittersweet that the project is finally done.  I had the best time making them over the past seven months.  I am just tickled pink with how they turned out. Fun and happy curtains to match the happy yellow room. Yup.  Seven months!  It was a long meandering project.  A fun one, but not a fast one!  Technically I can trace its roots back a decade.  At a sewing ret ..read more

Matt first read about yuba in Miyoko's The Vegan Meat Cookbook. Yuba is a byproduct of making tofu and soymilk.  It goes by a few names...most of which don't sound terribly yummy to me.  Case in point: Beancurd Sheets.  How is that for scrumptious, eh?!?!  What about Soymilk Skins?  Yeesh.  So, yeah, we're calling it yuba in our kitchen.   Seitan served with Meera Sodha's delicious Piccalilli Rice. Matt found dried yuba for sale at the Asian grocers about a year ago.  Since then, he's been perfecting a variation wherein he adds it to o ..read more

Matt and I have been plant-based for about fifteen years and we have done a lot of traveling in that time.  As a result, we're pretty savvy about eating well on the road.  Often we still cook for ourselves because we enjoy cooking and it is so cheap and easy to DIY.  Vegan options on restaurant menus are increasingly easy to find when we don't feel like cooking though and that's really cool.  I mean, shoot, I had an impossible burger at a diner in the middle of rural Wyoming on the way back from Roger Waters!  My go-to on the road is to find an Asian restaurant, especi ..read more

Old Faithful Geyser In December Matt and I took a marvelous journey to Yellowstone National Park.  Our Winter in Wonderland Megavacation.  It was awesome.  Glorious.  Fantastic.  We've enjoyed wintery day trips into the park, but we've never gotten to settle in for daaaaaaaaaaaaaaays like that.   This was an extra special trip celebrating the fact we paid off our mortgage last year and are now totally debt-free.  Woohoo!  Taking a snowcoach trip is something Matt has long wanted to do.  His parents took a snowcoach trip ..read more

Pinch me. I experienced the most magical winter moment of my life in December.  Matt and I were in Yellowstone National Park as part of our Winter in Wonderland Megavacation*.  We were cross-country skiing on the Lone Star Geyser Trail.  We had just watched the geyser erupt with glorious steam and spray.  The jets of water froze in the air as they fell which gave the impression of shooting stars.  The trees lining the trail were flocked with snow.  We glided along through the beautiful stillness and quiet with the snow sparkling in the sunshine like diamo ..read more

Hip, hip, hooray for another year of superb reading adventures!  Gosh, I love reading so much!  SO MUCH!  Experiencing other worlds, other lives--both real and imaginary--is so cool.  I love learning, growing, and expanding myself with each book.  Not only the non-fiction ones either, but with fiction, too.  I saw a meme this year that said something like, "All books are self-help books.  The novels are just sneakier about it."  Ha!  I love it.  With that, I present my annual reading recap and reflections.  I found it interesting tha ..read more

A couple of years ago my dad took us to a cute little antique store in a log cabin where we bought a box of vintage bubble lights.  My stash of bubble lights had been dwindling with each passing holiday season.  Christmas 2022 found me without enough for both a full string on the tree and the bubble light candelabra for the front window.   These days, I have a blend of vintage and modern bubble lights.  I have one bulb that I believe is still original to the set from Grandma Fran.  I have some with glitter inside.  I have an assortment of colors.  The ..read more

Matt and his Hat during our first Hillberry Music Festival.  10/13/2019 Matt is known for his Hat.  Matt's Hat.  It is a thing. Matt having a birthday beer on the deck at one of our favorite breweries.  9/19/2023 Over the past fifteen years, the Hat has basically become an extension of Matt.  If we are out of the house (at a concert, a friend's house, or on a hike) he is probably wearing it*.   This is the first known photo of Matt's Hat.  It was taken at the 10,000 Lakes Festival.  When I showed it to Matt he was a bit awest ..read more

We're nearly finished putting things by--canning, freezing, dehydrating--as we wrap up our 2023 gardening season.  The end is in sight.  We got the plots cleared just before the first snow (October 25th).  Matt was very diligent about winding it down slow and steady--and before the weather turned cold, wet, and/or dreary.  It makes putting the plots to bed so pleasant.   An artichoke left to bloom.  10/10/2023 The garden was lively with birds during our last sunny workday.  I dug potatoes.  Matt built up the compost pile.  Black-capped ..read more

We used to limit these "meatballs" to spaghetti night, more or less.  A whole new world opened up when we realized they could be so much more!  Slather 'em in gravy!  Coat them with Kung Poa!  Eat 'em with fried potatoes for breakfast!  With a few tweaks on the seasonings and accompaniments, there are endless ways to go.  Below are three that I enjoy. Asian "Meatballs" 1 C TVP 1/4 C rolled oats 1 t Chinese Five Spice powder 1/2 t garlic powder 1/2 t ground ginger 2 T sesame seeds 3/4 C almost-boiling water 2 T sweet chile hot sauce 2 T tamari or soy sa ..read more