Tag: Life
265 posts
- A simple trick for tracking your Sharpie’s ageTired of digging through a box of dead markers? I started dating my Sharpies with a dab of white-out on the end. Now I'll know exactly how old each one is.
- Introducing the PB&J pancake sandwichA few life lessons from leftover pancakes: • Order what you like • Enjoy it • Save some for later • Share the good stuff
- What does your beach towel say about you?For a few hours at the beach, your towel becomes a flag.
- A sign of spring transitioning into summerA pine cone open on one side, and closed on the other. Why?
- Easy way to trim foil fringe curtainsYou can spend a lot on party decorations. Or you can hang foil fringe curtains and let kids run through them 400 times. One small adjustment makes them last way longer.
- Using a notepad more, instead a smartphoneI’m trying to use my notepad more than my phone. So I rubber-banded my phone to my notepad.
- Spiral treeI walked in a spiral around a tree. It turned into something between a zen garden, a thumbprint, and a vinyl record.
- I accidentally used wasp larvae nests to decorate a tiny snowmanFound some cool "wooden balls" on a fallen oak branch for my snowman’s eyes. Turns out they’re wasp galls.
- Making things outside while you waitWaiting doesn’t have to be empty time. Sometimes it’s time to make something.
- Building tiny snowmen is fun, even with just a bit of snowWhen snow is on the ground, carry carrots in your pocket. Tiny snowmen have a way of appearing when you’re ready.
- An official coin for family decisionsEvery family should have an official coin for settling disputes. Not just any coin—one that means something. Ours is a French Piastre from 1908.
- Using a glove as a tripodTried balancing my phone on a snowy branch. Failed. Put my winter glove on the branch instead. Succeeded. Accidentally invented the glove-pod.
- Miracle leafA leaf stuck to siding. Another floating in mid-air for 8 hours straight. These aren't magic tricks, they're Miracle Leaves. I'm collecting sightings on Bluesky. Share yours!
- Using a keychain camera to record the morning sunFinally got my hands on a Kodak Charmera (nearly impossible to find). Took it to the woods this morning and shot straight into the sun. The lo-fi quality makes it feel like 2003 cameraphone nostalgia.
- The lesson in 49 circlesWhat happens when you draw your age in circles 49 times? You wear an actual groove in the paper. My pencil kept catching on the rut I'd created. Turns out this simple art exercise became a lesson about breaking free…
- Turn your lightbulbs into time capsulesWrite today's date + a small life moment on every lightbulb you install. Years later when it burns out, you'll get the sweetest surprise. Just discovered one from when my daughter was 14 months old!
- Connect with your friends through their town’s anniversaryEvery year, I wish my brother a Happy Wheaton Day on his town’s anniversary. Now I’m thinking of doing this for all my friends’ towns—along with a fun question about trees. Would you reply?
- Urban vs. suburban in the creative lifeHow does a change in environment shape the way we think and create? Can a suburban setting inspire creativity in the same way as an urban one?
- Rabbits act as Jackson Pollock on my drivewayMy driveway is an ever-changing Jackson Pollock painting, thanks to rabbits leaving their wild, crisscrossing tracks in the snow.
- The hidden patterns in everyday lifeEvery week, I take my garbage and recycling to the curb. I never noticed the perfectly spaced lines in the snow—until today. Sometimes, repetition creates beauty we don’t see at first.
- Comparing the cost of artificial Christmas tree needlesDo you have an artificial Christmas tree? If you do, you might have done some comparison shopping before purchasing your tree. This is our first time buying a fake Christmas tree, so we are new to the variety of fake…
- A suburban garden grew Illinois’ heaviest pumpkin at 2,021 poundsThis giant pumpkin in Wheaton, IL is almost as tall as me. Grown in a regular backyard, not a farm.
- Searching for the Silver Man of ChicagoHow Google Photos turned a search for 'Silver Man' into a journey through Chicago's history. From robots to statues, and even the famous Walking Dude.
- Fun with silly responses to social media promptsThe underlying message of this graphic is to caution people against sharing personal information through social media prompts. When read together, the answers form the phrase: "STOP GIVING PEOPLE YOUR PERSONAL INFO TO GUESS YOUR PASSWORD AND SECURITY QUESTIONS." However,…
- HarvesTime is GuacamolEpicA poem I submitted for a zine about a beloved local grocery store.
- When will the cicadas come out? Using soil temperature maps to predict their arrivalCicadas come out when the soil temperature is 65 degrees at 8 inches deep. A handful of tools will tell you the current soil temperature and forecast the upcoming soil temperature.
- Keeping a physical notebook for gardening recordsDo you keep a gardening notebook?
- Now page (for February 2024)Making a "/now page" to share what I'm doing now.
- Are discarded tress surprising to squirrels?Local squirrel confounded by tree's new 'horizontal living' choice. Neighbors report it's been dabbling in avant-garde landscaping.
- National Squirrel DayNational Squirrel Day is on Sunday, January 21st. Squirrel day in winter‽ It’s to remind us that food is scarce for squirrels in mid-winter. That’s pretty cool. Well, not that food is scarce, but that a squirrel day is set…
- Long exposure of snow, long album about winterEver wondered what the quiet of snowfall sounds like? 🤫 I paired a serene snow scene with the minimalist music of Philip Glass, John Cage, and Arvo Pärt. Read my blog for a journey into winter's whisper. ❄️
