Honoring the journey—then and now

  • Podcast 4: I hate the Facebook hoops!

    Podcast 4: I hate the Facebook hoops!

    What’s going on with all this Facebook publicity? Why do I have to wave my hat and draw attention to myself?

  • Diary Entry: Wednesday, January 24, 1866

    Diary Entry: Wednesday, January 24, 1866

    Last night we had quite a shower of rain, and this morning the weather is cool again and remained so all day. I had fifty scholars at school today, suffered with the headache considerably yesterday and last night…   -Mary Jane Edwards, writing in Jackson, Mississippi…

  • Remember our farming ancestors in winter

    Remember our farming ancestors in winter

    We think we have it bad this weekend with the snowfall and frigid temperatures. But a massive winter storm – idyllic though Currier & Ives make it appear in their 1868 “American Homestead Winter” – would have been a huge challenge for my ancestors, Mary Jane and Lizzie Edwards and anyone who lived on a…

  • Would sage help my American Girl clothes?

    Would sage help my American Girl clothes?

    I may have to light some dried sage and waft its smoke over the little red-striped cotton pajamas! I’m afraid they’ve absorbed a lot of negativity.

  • I’m a 7 seeking balance

    I’m a 7 seeking balance

    Since the start of December, I’ve been at two extremes: flitting around like a nervous flea or making dents in the family room sofa cushions. It’s been a weird couple of months. During the typical prep weeks before Christmas, we unexpectedly raced to California and back.  We pressed hard, making the 4,000-plus-mile trip in seven…

  • What’s happened to winter?

    What’s happened to winter?

    Bunkhouse. U-shaped dinette. Under 4,000 pounds. Murphy bed. Sadly, my website filter settings have yielded few local results this week as I’ve been combing through RV sales websites. We’re ready to escape the Indiana winter and replace it with balmy temperatures. A low of 50 degrees would be perfect. We’d even take 40 degrees, now…

  • Capturing a bracing winter in haiku

    Capturing a bracing winter in haiku

    The click of her leash. The squeak of the garage door. Brutal wind whips past.

  • A Sadly Apt Haiku

    A Sadly Apt Haiku

    Empty plates linger. Snowflakes whirl past slatted blinds. Superflu Christmas!

  • Another Christmas

    Another Christmas

    Sniffly noses and raspy coughs interrupt the peaceful night. With pillows stuffed into the corner of the couch, a knitted blanket insulates my fuzzy bathrobe and creates a cozy nest. Snuggling into the slippery leather is better than fighting the noise upstairs.

  • The Untier of Knots

    The Untier of Knots

    Oh, Mary, Undoer of Knots, Heavenly Mother of us all, counsel me. Share with me your maternal and holy wisdom. Help me discern the tools I need to pull apart this tangled mess: The watchmaker’s loupe to closely examine the damage to such intricate workings. The dressmaker’s pin that gently teases apart threads so delicately,…

Barbara Swander Miller

Honoring the journey in everyday life

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