The smell of baking bread takes me back to my childhood, waiting eagerly in my grandmother’s kitchen for the loaves to come out of the oven. Fresh, hot slices, slathered in butter. I’m starting to salivate, just thinking about it. With the rise of celiac disease and gluten intolerance, bread has received a lot of […]
Tag Archives: semrick
Harvesting the Bounty of Bacteria
Several years back, I had a nasty sinus infection that resisted several treatments of antibiotics before clearing up. Unfortunately, in the process, I killed most of the natural flora in my gut. The result was a low-grade diarrhea for the following two years. Our culture is obsessed with sterility but, in reality, we live in […]
Spring Projects
Every spring, I take on a significant landscaping or outdoor project. After months of seemingly endless darkness, I crave working outside. Finally, the days have become long enough to get something done. Today, I installed the liner in my frog pond. It was so satisfying to turn the hose on and watch the water rise […]
Storing Food For Winter
We are heading into harvest time. Here a few things from the Farmers’ Market my family stores for winter and how we use them. Potatoes – Last winter, I buried russet potatoes in sand in a cooler in the backyard. At first my sand was too damp and I lost a few potatoes to rot. […]
Generations
Two doctors, half a dozen nurses, another Respiratory Therapist and myself were huddled around the patient’s bed. Unfortunately, despite our efforts, his condition was continuing to deteriorate. I stepped back from the bedside as the decision was made to palliate. There was nothing medically that could make him better – the team would now focus […]