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thunder (and hurricane popcorn)
the sky, thickly veiled in white smoke, gradually darkened. i paced the house, obsessively looking out the window as the wind picked up,...
coffeeandwoodsmoke
Aug 8, 20212 min read
shorter days (and smoky chipotle sweet potato soup)
nights come early now, darkness settling in even before we sit down to dinner. the snow melts; the last aspen leaves rattle and flutter...
coffeeandwoodsmoke
Nov 12, 20202 min read
times like these (and chai-spiced almond butter)
i’ve heard it said that winter is never far away in the north country. you can feel its presence just beyond the mountain; hovering,...
coffeeandwoodsmoke
Oct 24, 20202 min read
rhubarb in the rain
the morning dawns under cover, accompanied by a steady drumbeat of rain. a low ceiling, not quite grey and not quite white. throughout...
coffeeandwoodsmoke
Jun 21, 20202 min read
spring things, little things (and cacao cinnamon cashew bites)
the neighbor mows his lawn and the air smells sweet; later, spicy as rain releases the balm of creekside cottonwoods. thunder rumbles...
coffeeandwoodsmoke
May 6, 20201 min read
weather report (and cheater chana masala)
Winter rain, now tell me why, Summers fade, and roses die. The answer came; the wind and rain. Golden hills, now veiled in grey, Summer...
coffeeandwoodsmoke
Mar 27, 20203 min read
holding pattern (and raspberry vanilla granola)
the last days of february bring with them an ennui, a longing. a yen for color and life and warmth. elsewhere in the country, signs of...
coffeeandwoodsmoke
Feb 26, 20202 min read
snow (and maple peanut butter fudge)
ensconced inside walls of glass and wood, a human-scale snow globe, the world outside awash in white. flakes falling steadily: sometimes...
coffeeandwoodsmoke
Feb 10, 20202 min read
rain and strawberries
Easter morning clouds swirl low over the mountains, encircling peaks in wreathing mist, tumbling down to the valley floor. The air heavy...
coffeeandwoodsmoke
Apr 21, 20192 min read
weather report
The winter was so hard and cold, Froze ten feet ’neath the ground. — Grateful Dead, “Dire Wolf” The winter: Cold and long, even by north...
coffeeandwoodsmoke
Apr 9, 20192 min read
good mom
She slowly emerges from the tall grasses at the lip of the crumbling fish ladder. Her head swings from side to side as she surveys the...
coffeeandwoodsmoke
Oct 2, 20184 min read
the old chokecherry tree (and raw apricot cheesecake)
An almost imperceptible shift in the light. A slant of golden, the earth’s turning reflected in sunflowers’ faces. The skies blue again...
coffeeandwoodsmoke
Sep 3, 20184 min read
perpetual motion
Walking along an ice rink road riddled with puddles, there is a whisper in the air; an undercurrent. Spring is not here yet in the north...
coffeeandwoodsmoke
Mar 8, 20183 min read
Orbit
This morning there is rain, a steady drumbeat against the corrugated tin roof, streams pouring out of gutter spouts and a grey mist...
coffeeandwoodsmoke
Sep 15, 20152 min read
Commentary on a Monday (and Paleo Plum Pie)
I had pie for breakfast today. I mean, I didn’t *only* eat pie. But pie was definitely present. Maybe topped with a couple of...
coffeeandwoodsmoke
Jul 27, 20152 min read
Mid-Summer Days; Chocolate Cherry Chia Pudding
Weekends go by so fast. This one was a good one. Summer days in Montana, celebrating the best the season has to offer. Saturday began...
coffeeandwoodsmoke
Jul 20, 20151 min read
I Believe
There are things we believe. Things that ground us. Things that hold us close–more than we can ever hold them. Things divine, that...
coffeeandwoodsmoke
Jul 16, 20152 min read
Morning Rituals, Words, and Labneh with Ancient Grains Granola
Years ago, I had a word-of-the-day calendar. I love this idea, this ritual of bringing a new concept into the everyday. Of diving into...
coffeeandwoodsmoke
Jul 14, 20153 min read
The Music Never Stopped (and Veggie Burritos)
This year marks 50 years for the best band ever. Forever. So many of my friends from near and far, from different chapters and far flung...
coffeeandwoodsmoke
Jul 5, 20153 min read
Flow (and a Fresh Berry Tart)
Change is the only constant. That adage, attributed (or misattributed, depending what you read) to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus,...
coffeeandwoodsmoke
Jun 16, 20152 min read
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