Stephanie Montelongo/Unsplash, CC BYWhen my daughter was in the early years of primary school, her class was asked what their parents’ hobbies were. My daughter piped up promptly with mine: “Reading, sleeping, and drinking wine.” This disclosure of my deficiences — among the more well-adapted offerings of cycling, gardening, Pilates practice and marathon-running — got me in the soft nervous centre of my self-worth. Sleeping, reading and drinking wine are three things I have always felt guilty about. They are emblematic of my chronic tendency to procrastinate, my lax self-regulation, my failure to use time productively. Excluding my contribution to the wine industry, they have no dollar value. They produce nothing of immediate, measurable value. They have no rounded sense...
Writing contradicts death. The desire to capture feelings and meaning, circumscribe accounts, and relay story lines fundamentally clashes with the idea of ruin, destruction, and disappearance. We cling to the writing process as an illusory chance to pin down and preserve the outline of reality, flee the energy field of extinction, and try to trick oblivion. How justified is this illusory state? Well, it’s at least a constant of sorts—most of us are inclined to cling to time, to the feeling of it, to its passage. So how do you pin time down within the confines of your consciousness, within the confines of language? You can try writing. Even if what you’ve written won’t become literature. Moreover, who is there...
Sunny days are upon us and our favorite summer activities are back in the mix, meaning it’s time to start stocking up on the most breathable and comfortable outfits possible — or risk ending the day a sweaty mess. And that means many of the fabrics we opt for in cooler weather just won’t cut it. If you haven’t had the pleasure of feeling TENCEL™ Lyocell before, I’ll do my best to give you a quick rundown: It’s incredibly soft and slinky while also being thick and durable. (Bonus points for it being biodegradable and using 10 to 20 times less water than required to produce conventional cotton.) And lucky for us all, R29-reader favorite brand Quince has a new...
Today, it’s all about the 101 homesteading skills we need to teach our kids and grandkids, and possibly our neighbors. We’ve heard a lot in the last few years about homesteading skills, vintage skills, and pioneer skills. I don’t know about you, but I can do all of these and I bet you can too. I wrote this post many years ago, but I believe we need this information more now than ever before, so I’m updating the post as a refresher. I have always pictured different farms growing vegetables and fruits and raising chickens, rabbits, goats, cows, etc. I remember visiting dairy farms. It seems now some people are calling themselves homesteading families if they’ve learned and are using...
The diversity of people, regional food, varied terrain, and natural beauty are hard to find anywhere else in the world. Prepare to be amazed, the United States is a premier travel destination with endless road trips available and easy cross-country flights. There are endless places to visit in the USA and no matter how you choose to travel around, you’re sure to have a great time. 101 Best Places to Visit in The USA Throughout this article, you’re going to read about 101 places to visit in the United States. This article is by no means exhaustive! I’ve broken up the post by region of the country, and each section has descriptions and recommendations on the best places to stay...
