aprildemes.com

  • About
  • Contact
  • A lot in the wash

    I’ll be the first to admit, I’m a pretty unstructured housekeeper. Most of my work gets done on the basis of what I feel like tackling any given day. But there is one thing that gets done like clockwork, on schedule, every week, Mondays and Thursdays: laundry. With seven people to clothe, it’s an undertaking.…

    aprildemes

    June 23, 2014
    Parenting
    chores, independence, kid’s chores, laundry
  • A horticultural brush with the fashion police

    There’s something that’s been irking me for several weeks. A magazine headline. An innocuous, mildly informative phrase that originally made me smile: “Purple–this year’s hottest hue for flowers!” It made me smile because my garden’s overall colour scheme is built on purples and yellows. Maybe I would actually be ‘with it’ this year! Was it…

    aprildemes

    June 13, 2014
    Gardening
    colour scheme, gardening trends
  • I’m so not ready for my close up

    Last night I hosted a book club author visit with the lovely Jennifer Quist. A splendid time was had by all, but as all the guests were leaving, Jenn asked me to show her around my “famous” garden–referring to my horticultural exploits of the last four years being documented at CanadianGardening.com. My gut reaction: horror.…

    aprildemes

    May 28, 2014
    Gardening, Writing
    garden writer, Jennifer Quist
  • Rhubarb time: on picking, composting, and keeping

    Rhubarb, you ubiquitous spring staple, you tart veggie disguised as a fruit, oh how I love you. My rescue from winter food blahs, along with your cohorts, parsnip, asparagus, and spinach; you are destined for desert this very evening. If you, like I, are smitten with adoration, here are a few tips for keeping the…

    aprildemes

    May 26, 2014
    Gardening
    Composting, rhubarb, spring food
  • Channeling my inner lumberjack

    It’s been a good day, mostly because I used power tools, got dirty, and smell like trees right now. First, we had some neighbours with heavy machinery come help us get our brush pile under control. The wind tends to take a lot of branches off our mature trees over the course of the year,…

    aprildemes

    May 25, 2014
    Gardening
    brush pile, garden shredder, mulch, shredder, trees
  • Muffin tins, rationalization, and procrastination

    Washing dishes is often a philosophical experience for me. This morning, for instance, I was cleaning up from a big batch of baking yesterday–muffins for the school track and field concession. I had opted not to use paper liners. I know them to be a time saver, but it seemed like a waste and just…

    aprildemes

    May 16, 2014
    Living, Writing
    procrastination
  • Flashback courtesy of CBC and DNTO

    Today at 1:30 (or whenever via modern technology) you can listen to my national radio debut (skip to about 1:09:00 if you just want me), telling a tale from my storied past. I went digging for a picture to share with you of the particular era in question, and couldn’t find much. Lots of grade 9,…

    aprildemes

    May 10, 2014
    Living, Writing
    CBC, DNTO
  • Composting notes

    Here’s the notes from the mini composting class I did last night for the community. Not exactly like being there, especially because you missed dessert–dirt and worms!*   Foundational principles: 1. Invest time and energy into feeding your soil, and it will feed your plants better than you or a synthetic fertilizer can. 2. Composting…

    aprildemes

    May 7, 2014
    Gardening
    compost basics, Composting, garden soil
  • In the beginning…

    I’ve been writing since I was a child. Being drawn to story, learning, and truth has led me through many mediums: music, theatre, photography, journalism, but always I seem to wind up back with my pen scratching paper or my fingers on the keyboard. Over the last four years, I got pretty comfortable in my…

    aprildemes

    May 6, 2014
    Living, Writing
Previous Page
1 2 3 4

Blog at WordPress.com.

 

Loading Comments...
 

    • Follow Following
      • aprildemes.com
      • Join 36 other followers
      • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
      • aprildemes.com
      • Edit Site
      • Follow Following
      • Sign up
      • Log in
      • Report this content
      • View site in Reader
      • Manage subscriptions
      • Collapse this bar