State of the Farm, July 4, 2022
I had a couple of ideas for this entry. It’s the fourth of July so it should be something about America.
Life
personal takes on life, the universe, and everything
The Rambling Writer Hikes the Hannegan Peak Trail
Join Thor, Bear dog, and me as we finally get back to the mountains for some early summer hiking. NOTE: This is a bit of a rerun with ironic flavor, as Thor and I were on the mend in early 2020 after various injuries/disabilities. And now we’re returning to one of our favorite trails two …
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And even if it all goes wrong…
Call me a late bloomer, or maybe just musically ignorant, but I came to Leonard Cohen very late in life. And indirectly, at that. The first time I heard a song called “Hallelujah” it was sung by k d lang, and it FLOORED me… and then and only then did I discover Leonard Cohen as …
A Rambling Writer Rerun: Playing Pirate!
Ahoy! Join Captain Thor and me as we launch our new pirate boat, RV (Recreational Vessel) Nereid. NOTE: This is a rerun of an earlier post, as summer Finally arrives in the rainy Pacific Northwest, and Thor kidnapped me today with Bear dog to bicycle the lake trail on our first warm day. I also …
Baking, 1917 Style
This year marks the 105th anniversary of the US’s entry into World War I…a topic which I happened to do a lot of research on for my YA fantasy What Lies Beneath. In observation of the event, I’m reposting a series of pieces I wrote around what was happening on the “home front” during that …
Spirit of Place: Portland, Oregon
Originally published on 10/8/2010 by Phyllis Irene Radford Rumor has it that those of us born in Portland, Oregon have webbed feet and learn to walk with a flutter kick. Truth be told we have about the same number of inches of rain per year as New York, Philadelphia, or Boston. However, we have more …
BVC Eats: Fresh green pea soup
I made this soup up out of my head after I read in a Georgette Heyer novel about a chef who, though he could of course prepare elegant French delicacies for his fashionable employer, knew also how to cater for an old lady with a sensitive digestion. He offered her a soup made with fresh …
State of the Farm, June 2022
We’ve had a few changes here. New trees planted. Old ones removed. Experiments monitored.
The Rambling Writer’s Chilean Farm: Preview
A sneak peek at the start of a new blog series about my adventures buying and building on an abandoned farm in southern Chile. NOTE: As moving has unearthed boxes of old journals and photos/slides, I’ve started to resurrect a half-finished novel based on my time owning a farm in remote Southern Chile. And due …
Synesthesia
(Originally posted oh, I don’t know–a while ago.) Letters have colors. A year is in the shape of an oval. A week starts out like a row of blocks, with Saturday slightly taller, and Sunday the tallest of all. Each day of the week has its own color, too, as do numbers. A few months …
BVC Eats: Boozy chocolate trifle
this dessert is highly alcoholic serves twelve to fifteen drunks 2 to 3 lb. pound cake -Chocolate marble poundcake is best. -You can substitute any rich chocolate cake. Use with the frosting, or remove the frosting and eat it with your fingers. 16 oz dark semisweet chocolate chips -I use Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips. -Yes, …
The Rambling Writer Visits Big Rock Garden
Join me for a ramble around a lovely local woodland park to enjoy outdoor sculptures and gorgeous rhododendrons in bloom. It’s a typical cool, damp “Junuary” in our Pacific Northwest, following two months of record-breaking cool temperatures and rainfall. As I write, torrents of rain pound on the roof, and I wish we could send …
Heaven, Regency Style
Since The Ladies of Almack’s stories are now coming out, I thought it behooved me to talk a bit about just what Almack’s was. And what it was, was “the seventh heaven of the fashionable world”, the “exclusive temple of the beau monde”, the “marriage mart” of exclusive London society. Regency wit Henry Luttell said …
