The first two houses we bought were obvious handyman specials. Our third (current) house is, too, but we just weren’t aware of it, since we were bamboozled by its charm. (Note to self: Never buy a charming house. Buy an ugly one and make it charming enough to bamboozle the next owner.) Our first house [...]
Category Archives: “If You Can Read …”
Quinoa, Dates & Almonds
Ingredients: 1/2 cup slivered blanched almonds 8 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped to 1/4″ pieces 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 cup quinoa 1-1/2 cups hot water 2 cups boiling water 1 cinnamon stick 1 bay leaf Directions: Put quinoa in a small pan or a two cup measuring cup. Add the hot water . Let [...]
Rain Barrel Workshop
Last Saturday I went to a rain barrel workshop at Edge of the Woods Nursery put on by the Saucon Creek Watershed Committee. For $35, they provided the tools, the materials and help to build a 55 gallon rain barrel. Rain barrels help slow down the flow of water off of roofs. Suburban sprawl with [...]
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Not Your Grandmother’s Split Pea & Ham Soup
Today, I made a split pea and ham soup to serve 80 men on the street. One of the guys told me that it is so good that the recipe is “internet ready.” That’s the first time I have heard that expression. They used to just tell me that the soup was “bumpin” when it [...]
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Going Native
I made my first trip of the season to Edge of the Woods Native Plant Nursery in Orefield, PA, with my daughter, April, and her three boys. What a wonderful place! They have over 300 species of trees, bushes, plants, flowers and ground covers, all native to this area. Louise and Susan, who own and [...]
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My First Front Door Designs
Years ago … Scratch that. Decades ago I read several books about building energy efficient homes. One of the authors said that if you don’t do anything else on your home yourself, you need to build your own front door. This led me to buy another book all about doors. Your front door is your greeting [...]
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New Front Door Design
This house is older than our former house and has an even smaller front door. The existing door is OK looking, but is starting to leak a bit. It is thin and does not have insulated glass. It opens into the bottom of the stairs. There is no point in leaving it open and having [...]
Thursday was reading night.
In our home, when I was growing up, Thursday night was reading night. This was never, ever announced or even mentioned. It was never enforced. None of us kids were even aware of it. However, it was intentional, consistent and disciplined. My mom told me about it when I was in college. My folks wanted [...]
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He fixed a flat and served mankind.
The first time I helped to change a flat tire was when I was not yet ten years old. The whole family was in the station wagon on a lonely two lane road in the middle of Minnesota, on our way to a lake. A car was stopped on the side of the road with [...]
Craftsman Stained Glass & Lead
I tend to customize things to make them my own: like the Mercedes-Benz hood ornament and trunk star on my Scion xB. The windows I am installing are plain and undivided. We like them, because they let in lots of light, but they are plain. I decided to give them a craftsman touch. Craftsman style [...]
