What a strange thread. I thought about not posting at all, and I agree with one poster who said folks need to get outside for some dirt and fresh air. Where I come from in Hawaii, land has always been worth its weight in diamonds. No one can afford to grow in rows; consequently, people there take advantage of every nook and cranny they can find. They've gardened that way for generations. In any garden bed you will find mustard or pak choi cabbage growing alongside Thai basil growing alongside daikon radish growing alongside Manoa lettuce, hot chili peppers, and often, a big pot of Portuguese parsley. Bamboo tepees support string beans and yard long beans. Green onions are tucked everywhere because they are used daily! Hanging above it all in typical wood slat pots you will find one or more of the thousands of orchid varieties, some blooming on fragrant long stalks that perfume the entire neighborhood. My father grew vanilla orchids on an old rotten tree stump, the tallest thing in the garden. He'd use a ladder to get up there to hand pollinate the blooms. Not four feet away were a couple of papaya plants laden with fruit. Way in the background was banana and a small avocado tree on its way to becoming a giant. My mother used to always have a pineapple or two growing because she said the sharp, sword-like leaves chased away bad spirits. We shrugged our shoulders at that, but the pineapple was always sweeter than what was found in the stores. All of this was growing in a postage stamp of a back yard which still had to have room for a clothes line. I live in Kansas now, where it is quite easy to grow in rows, but my garden is no different from my mother's, always has been, just no pineapple or papaya alas. I guess the term "potager" must be like a buzz word for some and that makes it more special. Who knows. I just garden the way my parents did because it is practical.

Induction is amazing. It was one of the modern compromises we made in our traditional kitchen, and it's one of the best decisions we made. Once you try induction, there's no going back to gas. It does everything better than our old gas range (both the highs and the lows), and as a bonus is way easier to clean. If you're trying to get sold on an induction cooktop, I can highly recommend the Miele dinners at distributors in larger metro areas. They cook a meal for you using all Miele appliances, and you can see and try the induction yourself with real pots & food. They're free and they happen about once a month in the Seattle area. To make the cooktop fit in better with our 1920s style, we chose a black one (I think they all are black anyway), and inset it into our black soapstone countertops. You hardly even notice it's there. Looks like cotehele did the same thing, but hers is in front of a window so it picks up glare. Because ours is not near a window, it blends in much better. We also wanted a water dispenser, but didn't want the modern look of them built into the fridge. So we installed a glass filler next to our faucet. We went back and forth about whether it made sense to put another water dispenser right next to the faucet (which already dispenses water), but I'm so glad we did. We use it over the faucet for two reasons: the one-handed push operation is simpler than the faucet, and we're able to get a glass of water while somebody else is washing dishes. By not choosing a fridge with a water dispenser, we were able to panel the fridge like a cabinet. Not that they would have done that 100 years ago, but it allows the fridge to blend into the cabinets. And by blending in the fridge, you can create other, more period style focal points (which in our kitchen are leaded glass windows and a breakfast nook). Here is a link that might be useful: thread with our kitchen pics

As a naturally messy person, I would love to agree with the opinion of that article. But even I cannot. It just seems to make an excuse for not trying harder. I am most comfortable with a "lived in" look. Steve's kitchen pic is pretty, but, to me, it looks like no one uses it. So if I were a guest in that home, I'd be afraid to get a glass of water. Even as a teen at home, when I cleaned my room I would finish by turning down the bed covers, laying a book on it and putting some papers and a pen on the desk. Like life was in progress there, then it felt right to me. As a mother, I need a certain amount of organization in the house. But the effort to keep it perfect cannot consume my mind, then I'd be the housekeeper not the mother. When my kids are grown and on their own and someone asks them "Did your mother keep house like a neat freak or a slob?" the best I could hope for would be "I don't remember." I don't want my housekeeping standards to be what they remember about their childhood. I don't want them to remember that it was so perfect they weren't allowed to have fun or have friends over. (Like DH remembers, and no pets b/c they're messy.) I also don't want them to remember it as so messy they couldn't have friends over for embarrassment. So anyway. I'd like to celebrate my messy side like the article encourages. But I know there is a time for both creative messiness and peaceful organization. There is value in keeping both in your life, not either or.

I visited a friend's house a few weeks ago. Her spices were something to behold. I've never seen anything quite like it. They were on tiered shelves, but that wasn't what impressed me. It was the chart on the inside of the cupboard door. Think Bingo chart, or a spreadsheet. Each row and column was labeled on one sheet. A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5, etc. Then there was a master list, in alphabetical order. Need cilantro? Look down the list. Oh, Row A, Jar 12. Glance at the "bingo chart" for orientation, and then boop, there it was in that spot on the shelf. I'd never be able to keep up with it, personally, but I could goggle in wonderment! Mine? They're in a cardboard box in the cupboard over my stove (shhh). It fits perfectly. I drag it out when I'm cooking and set it on the counter. The jar lids are labeled and placed in random order. There are less than 20 or so spices in there, so it's good enough. (Sweet spices are elsewhere.) When I'm done, the kit and caboodle goes back up and in. Someday I hope to have them in the shallow wall niche as described above, though.