My friend Dana informs me that blogs are old hat and asked me if I were considering starting a Substack. I'd subscribed to a fair few of them, but was intimidated by the paid subscriptions. Still, I liked the idea of sliding into people's inboxes - I started blogging because I am a letter writer, …
A night in the forest
This structure is known as a Debris Hut because it can be made from found materials in the forest. Nothing needs to be cut, everything can be gathered. The walls of the hut should be as thick as the length of a man's arm to prevent water from entering, so there are many layers of …
Fringe benefits of estrangement
I walked through the hot, still streets of Jerez with Sema snoozing in her sling. At times it seemed as if everyone in the city must have been asleep too, and then I would pass a tavern and a wave of mellow conversation would drift out on to the street. It was sunny and warm, …
When push comes to shove
NOTE: This is a birth story, featuring the words poop, amniotic fluid, blood, cervix ... you get the idea. So if it's your type of thing, just skip this one and we’ll be back to keeping chickens and sowing seeds before you know it. I had to write it, though, because I feel almost as …
Recipes like shopping lists
My mother had a photo album - with black pages and adhesive corners - filled with photos from her childhood. I loved to go through it, staring hard at the photographs to try and piece together a story about her life, and the photo above was a great favorite of mine because I found in …