It has been a dry, dry winter.  All around me are parched brown hills that are normally verdant this time of year.  This has not escaped my husband’s notice either.  He keeps a close eye on precipitation totals every winter as we rely on spring-fed water tanks to support a small parcel in a semi-rural part of the coast.  Over the years, he has put together quite the sophisticated system and has not once run ...

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There was a time when I turned my nose up at tomato soup.  To me it was no more than watered down tomato sauce disguised as soup–not the least bit appealing. I felt the same about tomato juice. V8? I’ll pass.  I don’t recall when the turning point was, when I decided that a good bowl of tomato soup deserved not only my attention but also my appreciation.  These days my soup hall of fame ...

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On a typical workday, if I can get away for a quick bite, my destination of choice is always Whole Foods. I would wait until 1 pm to avoid the mad noon rush and pick up a salad and/or soup.  My salads are the same day in, day out.  My soups, however, are another story.  My local Whole Foods offers eight different soups daily but I don’t limit myself to only eight options.  I think ...

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At the risk of belaboring this point…Mother Nature’s seasonal dial seems to be stuck between Winter and Spring.  The Sierra forecast for this weekend was for 15 inches of new snow.  It would be all well and good if this were not early June.  As in almost summer.  As in I’m tired of the cold and rain.  My northern California neighbors would understand.
 
But we’re slaves to Nature’s whims, are we not, so we may as ...

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My pantry is in desperate need of reorganizing.  I don’t even know all I have in it. Most likely I either have too much of what I’m trying to phase out or I’m low on my true staples.  I shouldn’t even be sharing this with you–how embarrassing. (more…)

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