Chiminea on a Deck: Rules Worth Knowing First
I bought my first chiminea because a colleague at school posted a photo of hers on a Friday afternoon in October, looking extremely pleased with herself, glass of wine in…
The Bottom Shelf of a Bookcase: Heavy, Hidden or Handy
I bought a full set of Encyclopedia Britannica off a woman on Facebook Marketplace for forty dollars, which felt like a genuine triumph at the time. Twenty six volumes, 1987…
Glass Coffee Tables: Living With the Fingerprints
I wipe down my coffee table somewhere between six and ten times a day. I know this because I started counting one particularly bad week in February, mostly out of…
Hallway Console Table Ideas That Set the Tone at the Door
I currently own four console tables, which is objectively too many for one person living alone in half of a triple-decker, and I want to be upfront about that number…
The Rose Vase Habits That Save a Bouquet
I was standing at the kitchen sink last Tuesday tipping a week’s worth of vase water down the drain, and it came out in that thick, slightly ropy way that…
Glass Vase Ideas for When Youre Done With Flowers
I counted them once, out of curiosity more than anything, because a student had asked me why my classroom windowsill had four vases with nothing in them and I didn’t…
Bird Bath Water Habits Worth Changing
Denise stood at my kitchen window last April, coffee in hand, looking out at the bird bath in a way that meant she had something to say and was building…
What Fills a Clear Vase Well
A friend of mine, Marla, walked into my kitchen last October, looked at the vase on the counter, and said, “Helen. That water looks like pond water. Actual pond water.…
What to Add to Vase Water, and What to Skip
I was standing at the kitchen sink on a Tuesday in February, doing the thing I do every couple of weeks, trimming a bunch of grocery store tulips down to…
Teal Pillows: Colors That Bring Out the Best in Them
Everyone told me teal was the color you regret. My sister in law painted a whole accent wall that exact shade in 2014, this sort of swimming pool teal, and…