January lasted a long time, but I’m still a little taken aback that it’s already February. I might as well tell you that my reading goal for the past few years has been to finish one book a week. That means 52 books in a year. I didn’t quite reach this mark last year. IContinue reading “2024 Reading Challenge: January Wrap-up”
Author Archives: ivythissmalllife
New Series I’m Hoarding
Before my cousin gave me Sweet Valley Twins #4 (Choosing Sides) when I was nine years old, I was perfectly content with borrowing The Bobbsey Twins and Nancy Drew from the school library. That singular point in time involving a seemingly innocuous present, however, spurred one of my life passions: my personal library that IContinue reading “New Series I’m Hoarding”
In the Garden – Volunteer Aglaonemas… Aglaonemae?
What’s your attitude toward volunteers in your garden? I’ve always been benevolent toward plants (mushrooms and animals too, if truth be told) that decide to show up without my bidding, even the ones that I know I don’t want around. I let them linger until they start showing their true thug. That’s when I feelContinue reading “In the Garden – Volunteer Aglaonemas… Aglaonemae?”
In the Garden – Crooked Cucumber Harvest
I’m not going to make any claim to Zen other than the fact that I write a lot about green tea and often have to delve into meditation and tea ceremonies. I’m hard pressed to find any Zen in my life. It’s not my aesthetic and not my disposition. It would be nice if itContinue reading “In the Garden – Crooked Cucumber Harvest”
First Cat Lady Entry – Introduction to Our Menagerie
We have seven masters in our house. They stay rent-free and expect the bipeds to wait on them hand and foot, eager to do their bidding day and night. I’m kidding. This is an exaggeration, of course, but, there’s really no denying that my daughter and I are whipped. Case in point, we end upContinue reading “First Cat Lady Entry – Introduction to Our Menagerie”
Baking in the Fall… Except I’m Near the Equator
Unlike people in other hemispheres, my mind already turned to Christmas in June. Our summer was over, after all, and the rainy season had commenced. We were already halfway through the year, and it’s time to turn our mind to the end of the year holidays. We’re a little (a lot) over-the-top about Christmas overContinue reading “Baking in the Fall… Except I’m Near the Equator”
Hygge: There’s Something about Tea (Featuring Favorite Tea Quotes)
The day had been particularly trying. My daughter was exhibiting all the finer qualities of being a teenager. With a heavy heart, I forcibly dismissed the incident as growing pains and reminded myself not to take it personally. This is hard when you suspect that your psyche is still hovering over the boundary line betweenContinue reading “Hygge: There’s Something about Tea (Featuring Favorite Tea Quotes)”
Book Review: The Teacher’s Funeral by Richard Peck
If you’re one of those who love to read about the good old days (it doesn’t matter the decade – as long as it’s not in this millennium), especially if they’re recounted with great wit and humor, then you’ll find The Teacher’s Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts to be an utter delight. The bookContinue reading “Book Review: The Teacher’s Funeral by Richard Peck”
In the Garden: Blue Ternate
It was market day at this dragonfruit farm up in the mountains. We traveled some two-plus hours to get there, the last stretch of the journey on a narrow dirt road that punished the underside of our vehicles. In our minds, the trip was worth it. We were able to score organic produce at aContinue reading “In the Garden: Blue Ternate”
Book Review: The Penderwicks #1 by Jeanne Birdsall
(*Affiliate links are present throughout this post. If you purchase through them, I get a teeny commission with no extra cost to you. 🙂 ) The first book of the The Penderwicks Series by Jeanne Birdsall is set in summer. It was published in 2005, which, in my mind, is pretty recent, so I considerContinue reading “Book Review: The Penderwicks #1 by Jeanne Birdsall”
This Small Life 