Category: Uncategorized

  • A Love and Respect of Antique Books

    Making a case for using old or outdated materials; even if may not match your values. In the last year or so, I’ve discovered I have a deep love and fascination with antique books. At first, I simply admired the beautiful binding; often leather or sometimes linen, adorned with gilt lettering in fonts rarely seen…

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  • 2025 Garden Planning, Part 1

    February 8, 2025 It’s that time of year; where the frozen ground and chilly temps stir cravings for soft soil and garden beds full of plants soaking up the sunshine. Of course, around here, it’s more of frying in the sunshine and triple-digit temperatures, but I digress…. I’m no conspiracy theorist, but the unsettled nature…

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  • Course Review: “Home Horticulture 1” , from the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension

    Even a “Black Thumb” can be taught a thing or two. I have a confession to make, dear reader, and it isn’t pretty. I am the unfortunate bearer of a “Black Thumb.” If you entrust me with a plant, you’d best be prepared for it to meet an untimely, tragic end. Over the years, I’ve…

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  • It starts with a dream: building our family ranch from scratch in Northern Nevada

    In the beginning….Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of having my own ranch. As a horse-crazy kid, the dream was something like having my house integrated with the barn so I could feed my horses out of my bedroom window. Now, as an adult, that vision has changed quite a bit. Family…

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  • Welcome!

    I honestly can’t tell you how many drafts of this post I’ve built over the last couple of years, but I felt it was time to just “pull the trigger” so to speak and get the ball rolling! Hi, I’m Valerie. My family and I recently “escaped” suburban life and moved to a one-acre blank…

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