Dec. 4, 2009 12:27 pm
Updated: Dec. 5, 2009 2:54 pm
I never thought I was a collector until a few Christmases ago when I was pulling out the decorations and saw all the Santas. I realized I have wooden Santas and glass Santas, ceramic Santas and fabric Santas. I have a bobble-head Santa and a wind-up Santa, candlestick Santas and nesting doll…
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Nesting Santas
Find the froggy Santa.
Santa and his wooden train.
Nov. 13, 2009 1:04 pm
Updated: Nov. 16, 2009 4:39 pm
Mark Twain knew what makes us tick. In Twain's novel, Tom Sawyer, young Tom has to whitewash Aunt Polly's fence in full view of his jeering friends. Faced with the double whammy of a dreary task and public humiliation, Tom teeters on the brink of losing his hard-won street cred.Instead, he taps…
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Grapes ready for picking.
The hunt is on.
Picking grapes and loving it.
Hiding out under the grapevine.
Nov. 6, 2009 12:22 pm
Updated: Nov. 13, 2009 2:00 pm
A couple of weeks ago--before November slammed into Seattle--some dear friends invited us to an apple-pressing party at their home. They asked us to bring apples, so we raided our old tree and brought a basketful to add to the hundreds of apples headed for the press. Some, like ours, were…
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Freshly pressed apple juice.
Even little guys got into it.
A wild garden in the heart of Seattle.
Wood-fired pizza oven. Every backyard needs one!
Oct. 30, 2009 11:07 am
Updated: Nov. 1, 2009 3:00 pm
Do you believe in ghosts? I'd love it if you would tell me a story because it's a wet and gloomy Halloween Eve in Seattle and I'm in the mood for a good scare. The wind is howling through the dead-leaf trees and my little black cat stalks from room to room letting out mournful yeowls as if to…
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Ghostly Window
Ghost Step One
Ghost Step Two
Ghost Step Three
Oct. 29, 2009 8:44 am
Updated: Oct. 30, 2009 10:35 am
Check out this fat, happy squirrel. It's perched on top of a Halloween house I made two years ago. Kind of cute, isn't it? Now imagine being a tiny person inside that gingerbread house. Imagine listening in horror as the giant squirrel gnaws its way through the roof, one piece of candy corn at…
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Mmmm...candy corn!
Oct. 28, 2009 8:35 am
Updated: Oct. 30, 2009 8:21 am
Up until few days ago, my Halloween mojo was missing in action and it took a crisis to bring it back. Here's what happened. I was gearing up to make my annual Halloween gingerbread house, but deep inside I just wasn't feeling the love. I'd done it the same way for so many years that my…
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Halloween 2009
Side view
Not such a scary thing after all
Back of the house
Oct. 22, 2009 12:41 pm
Updated: Oct. 28, 2009 7:20 pm
You gardeners out there know this one. Mother Nature always has the last word--and it's not always a kind one. You just can't predict which way she'll roll, so it's best to manage your expectations around her.
Last summer I noticed something green poking up through a bed I'd prepared…
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Knitted White Pumpkins
Oct. 2, 2009 1:37 pm
Updated: Oct. 13, 2009 11:57 am
There's an old saying that goes something like, "Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are." I was reminded of that this morning when I decided to make a French Apple Tart. Sadly, my pantry was missing some of the main players--and it was too rainy outside and too cozy insid
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French Apple Tart
The prolific old apple tree.
Red Gravenstein, perhaps?
Sep. 18, 2009 12:55 pm
Updated: Sep. 24, 2009 11:45 am
Because I’ve been saying it wrong all these years, as I
discovered when a cherry clafouti came my way this summer, served up by a
Frenchman named David (dah-VEED) who, of course, would know better than I how to pronounce the name of
this fruity dessert from his homeland. Clah-foo-TE
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Plum Clafouti
A perfectly ripe Italian plum
Sliced plums ready to be translated into French
Jul. 14, 2009 8:58 am
Updated: Jul. 17, 2009 9:05 am
In the magical world of Harry Potter, only the most powerful witches and wizards can cast a spell without a wand, and even then it’s crazy difficult. Why this should be so was never completely explained to my satisfaction, but no matter. In general, if you’re going to work your magic you need a…
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Lavender wand supplies.
1. Tie the knot.
2. Bend the stems.
3. Ready to weave.
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