Author Archives: susanmsink@gmail.com

From Scratch

Posted on January 4, 2014 by susanmsink@gmail.com

One of the things I love about Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is that, even though her project is big, it inspired me to become a vegetable gardener. Somehow she breaks it down and makes it seem like an ordinary activity. Although … Continue reading →

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The Turning

Posted on December 31, 2013 by susanmsink@gmail.com

It does feel heroic to go to work when it is -12 degrees outside. Especially when it’s New Year’s Eve. So I stayed under my covers until I could do so no longer, and then I put on my long … Continue reading →

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Sweet 2013

Posted on December 28, 2013 by susanmsink@gmail.com

  Just before Christmas we received a great gift. A pint of light yellow honey. It is one of 24 pints that were harvested from the bee colony that survived the summer on our farm. We were landlords, and it … Continue reading →

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What to Eat When It’s 10 Below

Posted on December 11, 2013 by susanmsink@gmail.com

This photo was taken about three weeks ago, when the greens, even the hardy greens, had completely frozen. Before December even started, we had a string of days near zero, which makes for great ice skating but pretty much definitively … Continue reading →

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Ice

Posted on December 4, 2013 by susanmsink@gmail.com

The poet Brenda Hillman was on campus a few weeks ago. She has written a book of poetry exploring the seasons in Berkeley, California. I believe she’s broken them down into about 30 micro-seasons. The two years I lived in … Continue reading →

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NaNoWriMo 2013 Done

Posted on November 30, 2013 by susanmsink@gmail.com

No, not 50,000 words. But in the end I did meet my personal goal of 35,000 words. And I got to the end of the story. It wasn’t pretty, and now I’ll have to go back and redo almost everything … Continue reading →

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Frances Ha

Posted on November 27, 2013 by susanmsink@gmail.com

I’m late to discussion of this movie, which is currently streaming on Netflix. I highly recommend it– and it’s sweet! And I just saw so many connections in it, which I loved, that I had to do a little blog … Continue reading →

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Best Cheddar Potato Soup

Posted on November 26, 2013 by susanmsink@gmail.com

Would you like a break with a recipe? I know you would. This is not a Thanksgiving recipe, but since it’s so cold everywhere and we need something simple and delicious, let’s do a cheddar potato soup. I love this … Continue reading →

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Still November!

Posted on November 22, 2013 by susanmsink@gmail.com

I’m in a happy place regarding the novel, and still enjoying the whole NaNoWriMo experience. This week I took some time to contact some of my “writing buddies” and really enjoyed hearing about their processes. One has already gotten past … Continue reading →

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Mindfulness in Mid-November

Posted on November 16, 2013 by susanmsink@gmail.com

I know I’m writing a novel, but yesterday was a poem of a day. It has been a long time since I’ve been so genuinely and completely, simply happy in a day. After some really bitter cold around here– single … Continue reading →

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