Busy Nothings

This time last year I was browsing the seed catalogues, planning our vegetable garden and berry patch, watching things start to grow in the cold frame. This spring we are still watching the snow fall outdoors, and I am rethinking the whole concept of "garden," not to mention the idea of "home." Moving from a 2500 square foot century farmhouse on half an acre to a 1000 sq. foot townhouse condo with a back deck and no yard has challenges, not the least of which are mental and emotional hurdles. The stupor brought on by the winter that just won't die is not helping matters. Still, I find it oddly fascinating to figure out how to make the most of our space, how to fit outdoor living footage into the deck and the tiny square of grass that we do have, as well as how to eke out personal space, not to mention personality, out of a cookie cutter condo. In the farmhouse, we expanded to fit the space. More rooms, lots of nooks and crannies and large open spaces mean...

So in case you have not heard, I am being the Ideal Housewife these days. Whatever that means. It is like a quirky social experiment, whereby the girl (okay, woman) who used to scream inside her own head at the prospect of staying at home and keeping house does just that with vigour and enthusiasm. Maybe not every day, but I try. I make homemade granola, for heaven's sake, and the infamous $49 muffins . As I wrote in this post , I am inspired by my grandmother and strive to find the joy that she found in everyday life. Lately I find myself turning to an unlikely source for inspiration. A few years ago, a gorgeous old volume of home-keeping appeared in a box of donated books I was sorting at the library. It was pleasantly smelly, as only very old books can be, and pages were falling out, but I simply could not throw it out. Published in Toronto in 1897, The Household Guide and Domestic Cyclopedia was created to help women in more ways than we can imagine, instructing on ever...