Linda Ly's Blog, page 23

Christmas: A Week in Pictures

This is the first day in over a week that I’ve actually opened my laptop, and I must say it’s been a really lovely holiday break. Will and I spent Christmas with his family in Northern California, and I hope I’m not alone in saying a break from our holiday break is now in order!

We had a lively week filled with family activities — Christmas Eve with all the cousins, Christmas Day with our immediate family, a day-after dinner with my siblings-in-law, then a holiday block party at my mother-in...

Glühwein: A Spiced Wine to Warm the Heart

I love a good party, and I especially love a good party punch. In summer, I typically stir up a sparkly bowl of sangria and in winter, I’m all about cozying up to a hot cocktail (like this festive cranberry-apple cider). Mulled wine often makes an appearance at my holiday parties and I never serve it the same way twice.

That’s the beauty of mulled wine — you can’t really go wrong as long as it’s sweetened, spiced, and heated. It’s a forgiving drink and open to experimentation, depending on w...

Five Things Friday

The five little things that made my week…

1. This is what the last week has looked like in my house: a roaring fire in the woodstove, with a tea kettle (staying warm for mugs of tea) and a simmer pot (brimming with rosemary and cinnamon) heating on top.

2. The smell of fresh pine needles is intoxicating.

3. Every ornament on my Christmas tree is either passed down from my husband’s family, handmade, gifted, or purchased from a favorite place we’ve traveled together, like this felt bison f...

Why Are Barns Traditionally Red?

(Western Pleasure Guest Ranch in Sandpoint, Idaho.)

Maybe it’s the city girl in me, but I’ve always had a thing for classic red barns.

I find them so romantic. I love my barns old, creaky, and weather-worn. Every time we pass them out in the countryside, I always imagine myself as a muck boot-wearing farm gal… pitching hay, chasing piglets, grooming llamas, milking goats. I think the only thing that keeps me from setting up shop is the fact that I’m not an early riser at all. I’d end up milk...

Jade Canopy: A Subscription Box for Gardeners

I love my UPS man… and not because it’s the season when packages start arriving at my door with more frequency.

Truth be told, I see packages at my door several times a week some months. I love hearing the thump of boxes on my doormat, the occasional shout of “UPS!” before the delivery driver hops back in his truck, and the subsequent ding! on my phone as a text comes in to tell me a package has been delivered. Even an Amazon Prime box filled with cleaning supplies feels like Christmas.

So w...

The Scenic Byways of Vermont

Say the words “scenic byway” and you’re likely to think of some of America’s most iconic roads: the historic Route 66 that crosses two-thirds of the country, or the dramatic Highway 1 that meanders down the central coast of California.

But in many states, there are smaller, lesser known byways that comprise the National Scenic Byways Program, a collection of American roads that have been preserved and recognized for their scenic, historical, archaeological, cultural, natural, or recreational...

GrowJourney Seeds of the Month Club (and a Giveaway!)

Happy holidays, friends. I love all these weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year. I wish we could roll them all into one humongous holiday filled with twinkly lights, cheery music, fresh pine scent, gluttonous dinner parties and cozy gatherings with loved ones.

I remember as a child, I feverishly looked forward to Christmas not because of its spiritual significance or even Santa himself (I was that cynic in school who told all my friends he wasn’t real — I know, I was so mean), but because...

Five Things Friday

The five little things that made my week…

1. Chioggia beet seedlings leaning toward the light.

2. Homemade donuts are an almost daily occurrence. To say I’m addicted to them is an understatement. (These ones are cranberry with fig jam.)

3. Home sweet home. I will never tire of this view.

4. The Pacific has been on a warming trend all year. I can’t quite believe it’s December and I can wade in the water, up to my knees, and still feel like it’s summer.

5. Geological history abounds on th...

Why Some Chickens Molt Faster Than Others

Why does it look like some of my chickens don’t molt at all, while others are nearly bald during molting season?

Don’t fret — while it may appear that only a few from your flock are molting in the fall, they all go through normal, healthy cycles that take anywhere from as little as two months to as long as five months. (For a more thorough look into the stages of seasonal feather loss and feather growth, check out this post.)

The factor that determines the length of time for old feathers to...

Mulled Wine from Emily Han’s Wild Drinks and Cocktails

As a blogger, I often find myself running in the same circles as other bloggers I admire from afar, but haven’t had a chance to meet. Emily Han is one such blogger. We both wrote for Apartment Therapy, The Kitchn, and KCET, we both live in Los Angeles, and we both have a love of cooking, foraging, and exploring the natural world.

So when I found out Emily signed with Quarto Publishing (who’s also my publisher — we now even have the same marketing manager!) for her boozy new book, I was so ex...