Many years ago a kind neighbor, with three little boys, shared her recipe for Fruit Punch Concentrate with me. My neighbor was frugal and, I believe, ahead of times in her approach to healthy eating. Not that this is necessarily a healthy drink, but the ratio of real fruit juice content is considerably higher than [...]

 
Summer has arrived in my corner of the world. The nights are still cool for sleeping and the days are sunny with temperatures in the mid-to-high 90’s. Our garden and our small orchard are doing well—so far (gophers and deer took their toll last year—but that is another story).
Our valley is mostly agriculture with many [...]

  
When I was in my teens I spent time every summer making school clothes, for myself and my younger sisters. I enjoyed the process and preferred it to other household chores that were the alternative to sewing. I made some clothing again when our daughter was little, but it was not until last month that [...]

  
He was born in the desert and stayed there his entire life. It became a part of him and he a part of it. He understood hard times and was resourceful in difficult situations. He was a man of action and never one to be idle. In his retirement he collected and sold firewood. It [...]