Posts by Julia Schmeelk

I have never aspired to be a plumber, but I know how valuable those skills are. Indoor conveniences like running water have always been high on my priority list and greatly appreciated. Having the sewer back up into my laundry room and leave a trail of sewage run off through my storage area is not…

If you have ever grown squash you know that they have huge leaves and they defend their fruit and hide it well. It took a while but I finally found the first of the treasure hidden in the leaves. A few weeks and we’ll be cooking this along with fresh corn on a fire in…

As I complete my second full month, I am feeling more comfortable with sales. It is very different from teaching school, very different from writing and promoting, and yet- I find some skills are definitely cross overs. The benefits are unmistakable, there is a positive culture of support, commission checks, flexible hours, and the knowledge…

Like a lot of people, I have been blessed with a number of good close friends. One of the most amazing things is when a friend from one part of your life can cross those invisible lines and enter another part and integrate successfully. I had a friend I taught with for a few years…

So we have a bad history when it comes to people coming to stay for a few days. Sometimes a fire, sometimes a flood. The curse has included a tornado and I am definitely against the pestilence part of the prophecy, but we did have an invasion of ants once and a horde of lady…

My dad and I are gardening together, which is a wonderful thing! We have 🍅 tomato plants as small as two inches, some are two feet, and others are waist high, but our garden is growing. A few pepper plants a squash or two and things are stretching and twining and making room. We have…