By Marj Watkins My father cherished his half-dozen bee hives. The bees never stung him. He placed some hives in his friend’s orchard, where they helped the fruits to thrive by pollinating the flowers. Honey is one of the oldest sweeteners in the world. Many variations of honey are cherished around the world, both for…
By Marjorie Watkins with Suzanna Leigh While I was writing this column for The Loop, my son Steve, daughter Suzanna, and I got to talking about breakfasts we’ve eaten in other countries. Steve and I remembered a Japanese breakfast of hot rice with egg. The raw egg was put into a depression in the rice…
By Marj Watkins, as told to Suzanna Leigh “Oh Mom, venison again?!” When I was growing up during the depression, eating all of my meals at home, breakfast was usually oatmeal mush with sugar and milk. We didn’t look forward to it, but when you are hungry, you eat whatever is presented. If we didn’t…
By Marjorie Watkins When I was a little girl, almost 6 years old, I heard the grown-ups talking about the stocks falling, and I imagined the cows tripping and falling down. On Gramma Brunson’s farm, they had seven cows. All those cows fell down? Oh, that is sad! I hope someone helped them get up….
By Marjorie Watkins When we lived in Crete, there were little white churches scattered over the hills. Their doors were always unlocked and you could go in any time to say your prayers, although you might not find chairs to sit in. The priests were always tall. Greeks are not noted for being tall, but…
By Marj Watkins When I and my family first came to Vashon Island in 1969, we bought a house with a view, joined the yacht club, and my husband, just retired from the United States Air Force, returned to his first career as a schoolteacher. He was hired to teach sixth grade as soon as…
“Kitchen Medicine” is my family’s system of natural healing: the right food for every physical condition, plus home remedies, plus exercises to exercise aches, plus vitamin therapy. We believe that by immediately eating, doing, and taking the right, simple things as soon as we first notice minor symptoms, we can avert or prevent major illnesses….
By Marj Watkins Many people, like me, are allergic to hard wheat. It’s the gluten in it that makes us sick. For a high price, you can buy gluten-free bread and pastries at the stores. But why buy, when for a much lower cost you can make your own? Try this recipe. Barley Cranberry Scones…