When we were in the thick of the pandemic, I told you about the camera obscura that I set up in my classroom for a few weeks every winter. Essentially, it is just a refrigerator box with a door cut into it, a 1/4 inch diameter hole that faces my classroom windows, and a large…
Category: Life With Ben
Mona Lisa’s Side-Eye
What happens when your classes read about Da Vinci and they recreate the Mona Lisa as a Renaissance Day project? Results vary. You might get an enigmatic smile, you might get something nearly recognizable, or you might get some serious side-eye. The final product is a trifling matter next to the lessons the process imparts. …
A Pizza My Heart
For Valentine’s Day, we usually opt to cook together at home, and this year homemade pizza was on the menu. In the morning, I stirred together the dough: Slow-Rise Pizza Dough 3 1/4 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon yeast* 1 1/4 cup water* Stir together ingredients until all dry flour is incorporated. Cover…
Third Person
Last week, Ben appeared on the front page of the local paper (above the fold!) One of his caregivers saw the need for an inclusive space for friends to gather and has made this space happen. Hats off to Laura! We applaud your vision and drive to make this a reality. Laura was interviewed for…
Every Day, A New Culinary Delight
When I was in junior high, there was a bulletin board just outside the typing room that advertised the school cafeteria’s menu for the week. The plastic letters got swapped weekly to spell out things like “Sloppy Joes” or Tuna Noodle Casserole,” but the slogan that remained along the bottom all year long promised, “Every…
BENeficial Intelligence
Suppose you combined artificial intelligence with Ben’s sensibilities. The resulting product, BENeficial Intelligence, would confound the most logical minds in the world because it would apply an infinite number of catch phrases in random incorrect situations. If you lard an outrageous amount of food on your plate, BENeficial Intelligence would advise you to say to…
We’ll Take a Cup of Kindness Yet, for Auld Lang Syne
As 2025 comes to a close, we reflect on our many blessings. We revel in the large and small moments that make up our lives together. Here is a quick photo review of our year. Thank you to everyone who was a part of it! 2025 passed before our eyes in a flash! Here’s to…
It’s the Hap-Happiest Season of All
As our holiday festivities wind down, Ben gives his Christmas experience a 5-star review. While the Christmas Eve meal of soup and grilled cheese was not his top choice, he mostly put a sock in it to avoid a lump of coal (or a sack ride to Spain), focusing instead on spending time with family….
Great Expectations
Ben has been running his Christmas meal plans by us for months. Most of his ideas are formed by what he really enjoyed in past years. I think, the beef with yarn. (He means the trussed beef tenderloin with a reverse seer.) This time, no choking. (Amazing that Jake still married into the family after…
Dutch Treat
When Phil was 4, 11, and 18 years old, he and his family lived in the Netherlands while his father researched English Puritans in Holland, and their ties to the country remain strong. The aspect of Dutch culture that has made its strongest impression on me from family lore is the no-nonsense approach. If any…