flowers

Natural Christmas Beauty

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I have strong feelings about Christmas decorations. First, they should always bring joy. For me, that means things that are natural, simple in construction, and handmade, if possible. There’s nothing more soul-sucking than walking into a big department store during the Christmas season and being accosted by overblown plastic decorations covered in fake snow. Secondly, decorations should not be expensive or too time-consuming. If you don’t look forward to putting up your tree and decorating the house, then maybe you’re […]

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formalities

Be Somebody’s Christmas Angel

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I’ve written before about So Others Might Eat (SOME), a community-based organization that exists to help the poor and homeless in Washington DC. SOME is very much in need of unwrapped NEW toys for children of all ages living in their facilities, for their parents to give them on Christmas morning. What a happy opportunity to do something wonderful for a child! SOME would appreciate your toy donations by December 20, in order to have the time to sort and […]

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food

Spatchcock Chicken with Grapes and Pine Nuts

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We eat a lot of chicken, and as much as we like it, it can become a little predictable. Spatchcocking, said to derive from the term “dispatch the cock,” is an 18th century English or Irish word, and refers to a method of cooking a chicken by removing the backbone and flattening it. The chicken cooks more quickly, and all of the skin is nicely crisped, so it is more tender. It also makes it easy to cook a whole […]

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formalities

A Friend For Life

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As the holidays approach, I hope you’ll think about whether you have space in your heart and home for a shelter dog or cat. According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are approximately 2.7 million healthy dogs and cats in shelters around the country. Only 30% of cats and dogs that are in people’s homes come from shelters. People are missing a great opportunity in shelter animals. I find this to be especially true of shelter animals, […]

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