Author Archives: Virtual Farmgirl

I’ll be following closely what’s going on with Oakland’s urban farmgirl Novella Carpenter, who is now facing thousands of dollars in fines after being told by city officials before she started her urban ag operation that she should wait to apply for permits because the laws were in flux. Oakland North has a full reportContinue reading “Popular Urban Farmer in Oakland Getting Grief, Facing Fines From City”

On the QT, I learned this evening that the injured piglet my family was nursing didn’t make it. It’s hush hush because my kids don’t know. The piglet was still hanging on when my mom took them to the library. The poor sugar turned blue not long after they left. But there was a swap,Continue reading “The Great Piglet Swap”

Roasting Peeps over the fire. The kids are having exactly the spring break we were hoping for: They’re outside, getting their hands dirty and having a blast. Of course my dad might be breaking some child labor laws putting them to work on The Farm. The first night, my son reported that “we really neededContinue reading “Spring Break: New Baby Chicks & an Injured Piglet”

I know coyotes are a problem at The Farm. They sure keep the dogs busy patrolling the perimeter. Sammy especially seems to enjoy keeping coyotes and other predators away from the chickens. But I never thought I’d have to worry about coyotes in Oak Park. Our local Patch has this roundup of stories in theContinue reading “Coyotes in Oak Park?”

No surprise that we’re celebrating the first day of Spring by eating. In fact, we’ve decided to have a Welcome Spring party all day, even though the sky looks sad and is threatening rain. We’re bookending the day with fried dough: beignets for breakfast and steak & green chili-filled gorditas for supper. The beignets comeContinue reading “Bienvenue Spring!”

Carolina pulled pork, slaw, onions & a dash of hot. There’s nothing like coming home to a hot meal and eating it together as a family. With both of us working full time and often very full days, this is a big challenge. But we do manage to eat together most nights during the week.Continue reading “Midweek Carolina Pulled Pork: It Looks Complicated But It's Not”

In my constant search for things my children will eat, I stumbled right into a family favorite. It was so obvious, I can’t believe I haven’t tried it before: beef stroganoff. They love noodles, beef and sour cream. How could that go wrong? The answer is in my hips. These kids are making it harderContinue reading “One More Thing the Kids Will Eat: Beef Stroganoff”

OK. I’m not exactly sure how to react to this. On my way home, in the dark because this winter is holding the sun hostage, I nearly stepped on a condom. It was strung out in its full sunshiny yellow glory in the middle of the sidewalk. I thought, that’s odd. It’s gross when IContinue reading “Trail of Condoms…What Should I Make of This?”

Watching Glee tonight, I was stunned to learn that my husband had never heard the song “Afternoon Delight.” A quick search of YouTube remedied the situation. Bonus, in the VH1 clip I found, David Cassidy did the intro. That video had me tripping all over memory lane and eventually remembering how much of a crushContinue reading “Shaun Cassidy Flashback”

I love to play the part of hostess and I love to cook for friends. But when I’m busy and stressed, I can’t bring myself to add a dinner party to our already hectic schedules. That’s why it’s so great that we have friends who, on a moment’s notice, will take us up on aContinue reading “Last-Minute Dinner Party…My Favorite Way to Entertain”