A few days ago, I started thinking about the difficulties of looking at the past through rose-colored glasses. Let's face it: life without electricity, equal voting rights, or antibiotics would be way harder. To explore this point further, let's look at life without two rather nice appliances (albeit just for the two weeks that we… Continue reading Hand wash only (II)
Author: Abby Murphy
I'm a writer and a history teacher, and I blog about (no surprise here) history, books, and writing.
Hand wash only (I)
It's easy to wax nostalgic about the "good old days," that halcyon golden age when kids didn't do drugs or drink underage, and life was simpler, without cell phones and social media complicating things. (Yes, I'm guilty of this!) There are a few things wrong with this kind of thinking, though: first, the "good old… Continue reading Hand wash only (I)
Blueberry picking (and muffins)
It's been two weeks since we returned from vacation in Canada, and I can't stop thinking about it. Even though I've since joined my parents for a weekend in upstate New York. Even though Josh and I have entertained and seen friends and gotten thoroughly back into the Providence swing of things. Even though school… Continue reading Blueberry picking (and muffins)
Afternoon Adventure: Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village
As a teenager I went to an all-girls school, one steeped in tradition and programs that recalled English prep schools. One of the big ones was chapel, where we heard guest speakers and senior speeches. Before the program began, we often sang a community song, with sheet music left on every other chair for students… Continue reading Afternoon Adventure: Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village
Away
For the next few weeks I'll be away on vacation with my family. Swimming, canoeing, reading, and cooler weather (fingers crossed) await! I'll be back at the beginning of August. In the meantime, you can read posts from last year's vacation here and here. Hope you're all enjoying summer!
The Next Big Thing Blog Tour!
Most of the time this blog is all about history and homesteading. But today you'll get to hear about another interest that takes up a big chunk of my days: creative writing. (And of course, there's a lot of history involved in that, too!)For the past few years I've been working on a YA historical… Continue reading The Next Big Thing Blog Tour!
Himmel torte
We just returned from a week in Maine with Josh's family. A gorgeous lake house near the town of Casco served as our home base, and we spent the week swimming, kayaking, reading, and playing games. The men-folk cooked almost every meal on the grill, while the women-folk engaged in some serious salad-making and baking.… Continue reading Himmel torte
Fencing in the kitchen garden
Josh and I have something of a squirrel problem in our backyard kitchen garden. Accustomed to running free and wild thanks to the apartment's no-pet policy, these squirrels are daring. They take risks. They chew on plants and dig up bulbs with abandon. But the last straw came when they started munching on my still-ripening… Continue reading Fencing in the kitchen garden
Line-drying laundry
For a few weeks the dryer in our apartment building has been broken. Problem? Easily solved. After putting in a call to the landlord, we hung our clothes fresh from the washing machine out to dry on the balcony.It's easy to string a line of twine from the hooks already hanging from the balcony ceiling.… Continue reading Line-drying laundry
Housekeeping
First order of business:Yes, friends, Google Reader is finally going away. To make sure you don't miss a post here, you can try one of the following alternatives:You can follow along at Bloglovin.Or you can try out feedly.There's also The Old Reader, for old-school types.And you can also subscribe via email, using the handy box to… Continue reading Housekeeping
Abby Murphy 