Draft 2021

I finally made the switch yesterday morning to using a locally produced shampoo bar. It's from Prairieland Herbs in Woodward, IA. I've had the soap since February, but was intimidated by the caution "you may experience funky hair for the first few weeks of use." I've been using the body bars for several months now and really like it, but using the shampoo bar was, well scary! So, because of the funky hair-scare, I bought the lovely-sounding "Red Rose and Lemon Balm" Herbal Hair Rinse, guaranteed to combat any wacky side effects the transition from petroleum/chemical-based hair care to a more natural, earth friendly approach. True to its word, the rinse definitely kept my hair close to its normal level of funkiness. However, I neglected to read the fine print on the hair rinse bottle. "An herbally infused organic apple cider vinegar rinse..." Worked like a charm, smelled like a salad.

What a glorious Mother's Day I had! It started with whole wheat walnut coffee cake and the Sunday New York Times, courtesy of my wonderful husband, Michael. He and the kids spent a good portion of the day cleaning the house, folding laundry, etc. We now have a bunch of pictures of the kids framed and ready to hang. Michael took the kids to a garden center where they picked out four beautiful rose bushes for our front yard. They surprised me by planting them before showing them to me! I also received a gift of honey through Oxfam International, a lovely card and even a haiku from my youngest: You snort when you laugh and then you laugh more ha ha which makes me laugh, too Uh hmm, don't you love the honesty of children?? Dinner was also prepared for me by dh and Stephen: marinated pork chops cooked on the grill, grilled asparagus parmesan, fresh salad (from Melissa) and homemade coffee chocolate chip ice cream from Stephen and Michael. I spent most of the day reading - to m

Our family food-foraging experiments took an interesting turn today when my friend Meg sent me a recipe for Dandelion Flower cookies. It seemed the perfect family activity for a gorgeous Mother's Day. Unlike other neighborhoods from my past, I don't have to worry about whether the yards here have been sprayed. I now live in a poor area of Des Moines, just a few blocks away from inner city revitalization. The move here was a calculated gamble. Our hope is that revitalization will migrate 1/2 mile further east. The immediate gratification was restoring a 1904 house and a much lower mortgage. We left an upper middle class (dare I say, upper class?) area of Des Moines, with its share of huge houses, pristine lawns and alarm systems, to a neighborhood with its fair share of boarded up houses, multi-family living and neglected yards. No one here can afford expensive lawn care. Anyway, my kids, my dh and myself trooped around the neighborhood, the younger kids dashing to pick eve

I'm still not good at making sure I have the camera with me, taking pictures, etc. Hopefully, once I gain more technological savvy, this will become second nature. Today was the opening day of the Des Moines Downtown Farmer's Market. Hundreds of vendors are there selling everything from plants and flowers to vegetables to hand-made jewelry and pottery. We were able to load up on what I hope will be enough locally grown produce to last the week. Our haul included spring garlic, scallions, radishes, lettuce, spinach, fresh mint, pea greens, carrots, strawberries and morrel mushrooms! Yum! In case you're wondering - what the heck? Strawberries in Iowa now? Your suspicion is justified - it definitely is too early for most of these crops to be ready had they been grown directly in the garden. These local farmers used cold frames, greenhouses, etc., to have early crops. Unfortunately, one does have to be careful and ask about things like this. The Des Moines Farmer's

Well, I've not made a good start here, nor have I learned how to add pictures or links. Perhaps I'll be motivated to get myself up to speed by the lamentations of my good friend, Chris, who checks this poor, neglected blog daily - because of my neglect, her online life has included a "Ground Hog Day" of Feb. 18 for the last two months. I've been reading a lot lately about self-sufficiency and eating locally. While I've only taken baby steps toward that goal, I was quite proud of myself today, though one could say my industriousness was spurred by laziness and justified, at least in part, by self-sufficiency/local motives. This morning I found myself wanting to make calzones for supper, but I lacked several of the major ingredients, such as pepperoni and ricotta cheese. No problem, right? A quick jaunt to the grocery store and I could proceed. But I run to the grocery store way too often and rarely leave with only the items I intended to buy. OK., I didn&