Use every part of the tomato with these no-waste ideas. — Last year we processed over 1,200 lbs. of tomatoes out of our garden, producing a significant quantity of Bi-Product. This tomato bi-product still has a lot of rich tomato flavor, and I wanted to find a way to use it. After experimenting, I found a few delicious ways to use…

Randall, Leo & Missy Bennett — I believe every farm needs a cat. I’m not big on having hundreds of them, three is my limit. Living in the country, you have no idea how many folks just up and drop their litters off at the end of the driveway thinking “Hey, there’s a bunch of barns…

Sometimes great things happen just as you are about to give up. — Every day comes with a choice. Every day we open our eyes comes with a new chance. A new choice. Is today going to be productive or will I make excuses or let other things get in the way of my goals? Natalie Goldberg explains distraction perfectly in her book, Writing Down the Bones that when…

Check out my four most recent free finds and what I can potentially make selling them. — I have always been a junker and making money by flipping vintage and antique items is by far my most favorite hobby. Roadside heaps left over from estate sales, certain store dumpsters, or thrifting at the Goodwill. I love looking for treasures in what others have discarded as trash. And…

Returning to the workplace has been challenging to say the least. — Returning to the confines of the carpet-lined cubicle walls and fluorescent lighting has been mentally challenging. The work hasn’t changed, but my attitude towards a healthy workspace and work/life balance has. So has my tolerance and patience with other humans. I think pre-COVID, we didn’t know any better. We had…

It’s not a lake. — I grew up on Lake Erie in northern Ohio. I moved to Ventura, California, right after high school. I knew nothing about the ocean. Zuma Beach, California, 1984 An Ohio girl flies to L.A. in 1984 to follow a guy. He picks her up and takes her to their new home in Ventura, California. …

Be careful of looking through rose-colored glasses when an adult child moves home. — I thought I was being smart and covering all my bases by talking with my son and his girlfriend about expectations before they moved back to live with us. I didn’t go so far as to put anything in writing, believing we were all on the same page. “Boomeranger” is…

Important questions to ask your boomeranger before they move back into the nest. — Children grow up and leave the nest. Sometimes failing or returning for whatever reason, and then leave again. And we hope they find their way. But often, they can’t. Or won’t. Sometimes, when adult children request to return home, it isn’t an easy “yes.” Sometimes, there are circumstances or situations…

WARNING: Contains sexually explicit language. — “Mom, mom. Mom, I need help. I did something really stupid.” He was shaking and pacing around my bed in a terrible panic. I glanced at my phone. It was 2:32 a.m. It was my 15-year-old. He is the last of six boys, the child with whom I’ve had more…