Category Archives: Mad skillz

If I can do it, you can, too.

In which Ali does the most gruesome of Thanksgiving tasks

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Ali

My next door neighbor has been raising turkeys. About a month ago he asked me if I would like to help him “process” the turkeys before Thanksgiving. “Process” is such a clinical term. It sounds clean, it sounds efficient, it … Continue reading →

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The “good enough” home cook: in praise of imperfection

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Ali

As I write this, I am caring for a sick four-year-old. She is wearing an old paint-spattered t-shirt of her father’s as a nightgown, and it hangs off of her clammy, feverish body as she lies tangled in blankets on … Continue reading →

Posted in By Ali, Everybody has a story, In the kitchen, Mad skillz | 4 Comments

Carpentry for Women part VI: coming home

Posted on August 24, 2009 by Ali

This is the last thing I’ll write about carpentry class here for a while. Promise. But if you missed the other parts, you might consider reading: Part I. Arriving Part II. Who we are Part III. Power Tools Part IV. … Continue reading →

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Carpentry for women, part V: foul-mouthed beauties

Posted on August 24, 2009 by Ali

Part five of an absurdly lengthy meditation of my week at Yestermorrow. This one comes with a warning label. I’m generally pretty good about not cursing here, aware that all kinds of people, including my mother, are reading. But this … Continue reading →

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Carpentry for Women part IV: on precision

Posted on August 24, 2009 by Ali

Here’s part IV of my carpentry experience. *** This is not work for the imprecise. I realize that right away. I’ve never been precise; I am impatient and scattered, and for all the time I spend in the kitchen, I … Continue reading →

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