The Math of My Life and My Laundry

Mathematics is the language of the universe, the foundation on which all things are built. If I had appreciated that in school, I might have paid more attention and worked harder to understand it. Lately I have been realizing that mathematical principles can apply even to the most mundane activities of everyday life. Proportionality is [...]

My Writer’s Toolbox

Last month I attended a really great workshop led by Amy Lou Jenkins at UW-Madison’s Write by the Lake Retreat. One of the things we talked about was our “writer’s toolbox”, and Amy had us spend sometime writing down some of the things a person might find in our toolboxes. Mine, as did most of [...]

A Tale of Two Knits

Knitting is an enigma. It is simple, but can be complicated; it can involve no mental effort, or take intense concentration; it can be a soothing, but can also drive you to distraction. It can fill you with a sense of accomplishment, and also convince you of your complete uselessness; it can make you proud, [...]

On Boys

I have a houseful of boys–even the cat is a boy. When I shop for my clothes 3 people sit outside on a bench waiting for me. I have nothing I did not buy in a hurry. I would not swap my boys with anyone. For them I will endure a blue-denim world devoid of [...]

Summer Holidays in Sheep Country

Long ago on the Isle of Lewis, it was traditional for the women to take the cattle to pasture on the moor during the summer months. They would live in rough huts or “sheilings” equipped with bare furnishings and would spend the summer away from home. Even although lifestyles changed and they did not keep [...]