Author Archives: Heather Hacking

One thing about the shift from newsprint to online electrons is that people are less likely to take out their scissors and save the written word for future generations. Remember gramma’s recipe holder — usually a wooden box crammed full … Continue reading →

By Elaine Gray and Heather Hacking Gardening Fools As promised last week, we’re ready to reveal the weird recipe that’s practically guaranteed to make you look like you know what you’re doing when it comes to roses. To get the … Continue reading →

This week my sister and I wandered around the produce section of Safeway. Not far off in the distance, somewhere near Brussels sprouts, I heard the rumble of the automated misters. This is now my most recent memory of thunderstorms. … Continue reading →

One of my weekly rituals is a visit from editor Laurie Kavenaugh, who asks “for a tease” about what I’ll write for the Friday column. She prints the tease in Thursday’s newspaper. Laurie is a plant-lover. If we didn’t need … Continue reading →

Snow in the foothills was fun. Wearing warm scarves has been cozy. Freezing temps even had their charm, in that cold, wondrous way. Yet, I’m glad the days are getting longer. If you look up into the trees you can … Continue reading →

I’m nearly out of cheerful, optimistic, silver-lined ways of viewing this past week of hard-hitting winter weather. What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger (Nietzche). I surely hope that statement will prove true for some of those nearly-dead plants. Like … Continue reading →

Planning for my family holidays is always a little chaotic. Who is hosting? What to bring? Who will drive? Usually my mother, my sister and I drive down to my aunt’s house for the big extravaganza. Sometimes we spend the … Continue reading →

The clocks have returned to real time. Darkness falls while I’m still at work. From now until spring I can contemplate my future life plans under dim lamplight. Meanwhile, I’ve been gathering leaves to make decoupage bookmarks as Christmas gifts. … Continue reading →

My family heritage hails from Minnesota. It makes little sense that my Scandinavian ancestors left their homeland, traveled across the ocean, then built new fireplaces in a place with sub-zero winters. Maybe it’s because winter sports are built into their … Continue reading →

Woulda, shoulda, coulda. As much is I hate to live in the land of regrets, if I had known the weather was going to be 70 degrees for the past two weeks, I would have done a few things differently. … Continue reading →