Author Archives: susanmsink@gmail.com

Pork, Pumpkin, Turnips, Together

Today I went out in the first snowfall of the season and cut kale for tonight’s dinner. It’s the second time I’m making this fine stew, which I found when I was looking for savory dishes with pumpkin. I couldn’t … Continue reading

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Felt Banners

I love burlap and felt banners. This one was made by my mother-in-law circa 1966-67 of her six (of eight) children playing with their toys after Christmas. My husband is the oldest on the stool with his new astronaut helmet. … Continue reading

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Vatican II 50th Anniversary

On October 11, 1962, the first session of the Second Vatican Council began. Today I finished up some work on The Saint John’s Bible project at 11:35, with time to drive over to Saint John’s Abbey for noon prayer. I … Continue reading

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At the Somali Grocery

Yesterday, on the way back from having my car checked (bad news), I stopped at the Somali grocery to buy a big sack of basmati rice and some tandoori masala spice. There is a large Somali population in St. Cloud. … Continue reading

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Publishing (and not)

At the workshop I attended in June with Lauren Winner, I had a breakthrough of sorts about publishing. I’ve been wrestling with it ever since, not wanting to commit to a position, not wanting to publicly say what it is … Continue reading

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The Lord Will Provide

Last night we had our first “winter storm.” The temperature dropped from the 70s to the 30s and the wind howled all night. What I waited for, however, was the sound of precipitation. In the north of the state, there … Continue reading

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The Good Wife and Privilege

I’ve written before about The Good Wife and the way it depicts corruption. There’s a current trend of “bad” main characters in dramas. After one season, I couldn’t bring myself to watch Weeds, mostly because the brother character was so … Continue reading

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Raw Milk Cheese

It’s been a regular cheese factory around here this weekend. It’s also baking season, and I’ve been loving cooking with the pie pumpkins. I finally plugged in the freezer to hold the last of the tomatoes, the green beans and the … Continue reading

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End of Summer

It was the fall equinox yesterday, and I spent most of it cooking pumpkin bread and pulling things out of the garden. For the first time, I had to wear a wool cap and sweater out there, and I was … Continue reading

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Stickwork, part 3: Lean on Me

At the end of three weeks, the sculpture is done! Five leaning buildings that started as images of a small chapel on the lake and became a means and representation of community. At the celebration, gifts were given to visiting artist Patrick Dougherty … Continue reading

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