The Art of Doing Stuff

Sticky Kitchens, 27 Pounds of Potatoes & A Week Off

Karen — Sat, 19 Sep 2026 03:28:00 +0000

I took last week off. The point of taking the week off was not to do less stuff. It was to do more stuff. Or more specifically, other stuff. I wasn't writing. I was digging potatoes, picking vegetables, cutting flowers, saving seeds, canning, pickling and generally dealing with everything that September had decided needed to...

AC Paint Puzzle

Karen — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 03:28:00 +0000

A dinnerplate dahlia is defined as one that ranges from 8"-12" across the bloom. Smaller blooms you would expect to be referred to as appetizers or lunchplates. But the dahlia world is full of unexpected things that don't make sense. Like the AC Paint dahlia. A white or pale pink dahlia that has magenta splatters...

Sweet Pea Puzzle

Karen — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 03:28:00 +0000

The sweet pea puzzle. This will be the last of the sweet peas I cut. They've lasted further into the season than I thought they would but they're slowing down now which means it's time for me to start leaving them on the plant so I have seeds to save for next year. Seed saving...

Bookshelf Puzzle

Karen — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 03:28:00 +0000

Today I invite you to look into my colourful soul. One section of my dining room bookcases - which still rank as one of my favourite DIYs ever because of the amount of hidden storage I added in between the bookcases. When you live in a little house and have a lot of hobbies, finding...

Bring Garlic Home, Then Do This.

Karen — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 15:28:00 +0000

I didn't get any garlic this year because I didn't have time to plant it last fall but I'm still going to have fresh garlic for another few months. How? You might assume I am in a transactional relationship with a produce manager. I'm not. I still have fresh garlic from last year. And the...

Yes. A Television Over the Stove.

Karen — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 03:28:00 +0000

I feel like because so many people asked about this, I should really address the elephant in the room. Yes. I have a television over my stove. I've had it there for the past 2 years and it works perfectly. It hasn't burst into flames, lost sound, or melted. It did complain once which you'll...

The Potted Garden in Late August.

Karen — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 03:28:00 +0000

In July I showed you the accidental potted garden I started after the front yard landscaping swallowed my summer and my community garden became 80% weeds. At the beginning of the summer I put three peonies in pots to save them from the front yard landscaping. Then I rescued a few snapdragons. Then a few...

It's About the Chickens

Karen — Sat, 05 Sep 2026 03:28:00 +0000

I don't have chickens anymore. I haven't had chickens for a couple of years, actually, which is probably confusing if you've arrived here through one of the approximately 400 stories I've written about chickens, chicken coops, chicken diseases, chicken eggs and things coming out of chickens that should not be coming out of chickens. I...

I Open That Differently

Karen — Fri, 04 Sep 2026 03:28:00 +0000

Books, mail, a savings account: You and I probably open those things the same way. That's assuming you get mail. And assuming you also open it with a switchblade. The switchblade was my dads which he gave to me or I stole it from his drawer. It sat in my kitchen drawer for 15 years...

How to Save Tomato Seeds

Karen — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 03:28:00 +0000

Go grab a tomato and a small bowl of water. You and I are going to save tomato seeds. Because we are awesome and cheap. And now is the time to be both of those things. Saving money is only one of the reasons to save tomato seeds. The main reason to do it is...