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The Quest of the Simple Life, a Book Review

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The English Moors, Photo Credit:  Daniel Rao One of the areas I'm trying to cultivate this year (ha, get it?) is the study  of homesteading, both modern and historical. Of course, there are multitudes of websites and blogs and social media you can follow (maybe more on that in another post) but part of what I wanted to do was build a small home library of books, both inspirational and practical, that would not only teach me skills for modern homesteading, but also help me understand the history and importance of homesteading and to help me find my own emotional foundation to the practice. The first book I finished in 2021 is The Quest of the Simple Life  by William James Dawson, published in 1907. For a book published at the turn of the last century, there is admittedly not a lot of really practical advice, or DIY projects for homesteading. Instead, the book takes us back to a different time, where the hum of London in the industrial age is contrasted with the life of the country f
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The Magic of Leftovers

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  Instagram @theladymid I hate leftovers. Yeah, yeah, there's just something so anticlimactic about popping a container and microwaving the sad remnants of yesterday's dinner. However, I love leftover magic . Taking bits and bites of the left-over, the sad, and the forgotten and turning them into something delicious just makes me feel like a kitchen witch of the most benevolent variety.  This, for example, was last night's supper, a twist on beans and toast. The main cast members: Leftover Beans  leftover stuffing (not from the same night as the beans) the Heels of the bread half a shallot the last, sad, wilted stick of celery The same night I packed up my leftover navy beans, I set them up in a marinade of olive oil, with some cilantro, salt, pepper, and the finely chopped celery and shallot. Side note: you'd be surprised how much adding 'half of this' or 'the last of that' really can bulk up what looks to be a meager amount of food!  I just used what I
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Beginning

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In the beginning, life was... not so simple. Hi, my name is MaeMae. I'm 35 and live in the suburbs. As for many people, 2020... like, what even was 2020? dumpster fire? tragedy of epic proportions? I got divorced right before the pandemic hit, so I found myself living alone and trying to make the best of my shattered emotional life. I was very, very lucky. I did not lose my job, and though I got sick, I got better again. In many ways, 2020 taught me how to reorient myself. There were a LOT of sad, scary, bad things that happened, but also some really great ones. Those things are the ones I want to focus on. I purchased my first home (12 years after entering the workforce) in April, I met Mr.H in July, and I learned how to have a healthier life balance.  Two of my Buff Orpington girls, Betty and Bitty Living on my own allowed me to explore things that were previously forbidden to me (not going to get into that) and really start to develop the kind of life I was proud of living. I ha
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