Fixin' Leaks and Leeks

A pot in our backyard birthed a pineapple. I certainly had nothing to do with it. I was working upstairs in my office, and I came outside to find Nate in the backyard, planting things, and there was this lovely pineapple plant that he brought home, and is it wrong that my first instinct was… Continue reading Hello, Pineapple!

I’ve balanced a steak in chimichurri sauce on my lap, while teetering on the edge of a wily wicker chair for the last time. We just bought sturdier furniture for the backyard, and it only took about two to three weeks to figure out what we wanted. Over the past two to three weeks, Nate… Continue reading You Okay, Captain? (Safely Installing a Fire-Pit-Type Patio Table)

When you press buttons “B” and “D,” and hold them down simultaneously, as indicated in the directions for the wristwatch you just bought, you’re supposed to be able to miraculously set the time, but that never happens. What happens is that you end up with an alarm set for 4:47 p.m. You won’t know how… Continue reading Party on My Watch

Turn that stroll around the neighborhood into headline HOA news. It’s National Get Outside Day, and, where I live, it’s somewhat cloudy, which means I need to put on my most decked-out Kentucky Derby shirt (because it’s that day too) and gallop away. National Get Outside Day isn’t just for kids and pets. Here are… Continue reading Get Out…Side

Feeling drained? So’s Renfield! But he’s not bugging out. In the movie starring Nicholas Cage as Dracula, Renfield stands up for himself as a result of joining a co-dependency support group. As a member of the support group, he can secretly identify victims to feed to his master: all the horrific partners the group members… Continue reading A Date for Renfield

If I want to pull off that effortless wrecking-ball-hit-my-kitchen look, I’ll just whip up a pie or two. And then I’ll be out of flour because I always think I need more, and that’s how I end up with dough all over the floor and a pie crust that’s crumbly, but not in a good… Continue reading I Went to a Pie and Wine Bar and Now I Want to Live There

Desperate to warn me of impending doom, the kitchen faucet went on the fritz. I’d turn it on, struggle with the sprayer, and shut it off—but it would continue to drip. To solve the problem, I’d just whack it a little harder when shutting it off the first time. Problem solved. Nate, on the other… Continue reading That Sinking Feeling

Spring a splatter of color on your home décor—but warn the members of your family first. That’s what the craft alarm is for. Today, it went off the minute I saw a re-run of Mama’s Family. Vicki Lawrence’s hats were simply off-the-hook amazing: little flowered numbers that fit snuggly right into her gray curls—like they… Continue reading Craft Alert: Things Are Getting Eggciting

Last night’s steak stuck around for an encore aroma performance, and it was being very sneaky about it. Even after cleaning the range and the glass on the kitchen hood above the oven range—and liberally spraying with Lysol and lighting perfumed candles and opening windows—we just couldn’t get that meaty smell out of the air.… Continue reading Clean Under the Hood

What’s shrimpy, spicy, saucy, and sassy all over? The “spicy shrimp plate” at Bongos restaurant in the Phinney Ridge area near Seattle. It seriously slaps. I can’t get it off my mind, ever, and I’m determined to make it at home. This restaurant is within walking distance of the Woodland Park Zoo. It’s a bit… Continue reading Mystery Shrimp