CURATING | by JANNA LUFKIN

A COUPLE TIMES A YEAR MOM COMES TO VISIT. We all have favorite things we like to do when she arrives. My husband breaks out bottles of wine he’s been saving for someone special. Our daughter gets Grandma’s advice with a sewing or craft project. Me? I take complete advantage of her — I get her to help me with a project.

A number of years ago I had a whopper: organizing my ever-growing heap of recipes.

I had a mess of recipe cards, newspaper clippings and torn-out magazine pages. My intentions to try new things were good — my system to find them was not.

Imagine my surprise when the ultimate organizer revealed she didn’t really have much of a system either. WHAT?

So over a long weekend of sorting, sharing and laughing, we designed one that worked.

Here it is:

• We started sorting, piling and tossing, accompanied by comments like “You think this sounds good?” and “Seriously, you’d make that?”
• Once sorted, we filed tried-and-true recipe cards by type, from A to Z, into a file box.
• Next, we inserted favorite recipe clippings into 3-ring binder sleeves and organized them from A to Z into binders.
• We reserved one 3-ring binder for holiday recipes. “Oh, so you have that recipe — I was looking for that!” (Amuma’s Rice Pudding.)
• Lastly, we filed untried recipes, sorted and alphabetized by type, into accordion files. When I’m ready for something new I’ll try one. If it’s good I file it in my permanent system; if not, I toss it.

I think of Mom and that weekend day in and out and I thank her over and over again. Not only for the solution to my problem, but for the precious memory of the time we spent together.

SUSTAINABLE LIVING | by CELESTE TELL

WHAT’S THE MOST ENERGY-EFFICIENT WAY to take the family on vacation this summer?

It depends.

A jet plane generates more carbon emissions per passenger than an average-fuel-efficiency car generates across the same distance. Add passengers, and car travel keeps your carbon footprint lean. Drive a hybrid or bio-diesel? It shrinks even more.

Of course it’s impractical to drive over very long distances — or overseas. Arriving at your destination, however, you have options.

Two summers ago we packed up the family for a trek across northern Europe. Flying into Frankfurt, we boarded a train in the airport and arrived rested and relaxed in Amsterdam four hours later.

For the next three weeks we trained between cities and used subways, trams, taxis and bicycles to get around town. It was liberating to not have to worry about directions or where to park the car each time we arrived in a new town. With or without kids, for planning a European rail trip, Rick Steves is hard to beat.

North America isn’t quite up to Europe on rail speed — yet. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get creative. Amtrak runs all over the U.S. and Rail Canada crosses the entire continent north of the border. Although many Amtrak trains are older and slower, routes like the Acela Express from Boston to Washington, D.C. and Amtrak Cascades from Vancouver B.C. to Portland, Ore., can get you closer to European comfort, speed and style.

When visiting places with great transit, ditch the rental car and spend the savings on an in-town hotel close to public transportation. Take transit, a taxi or shuttle in to town from the airport.

Whichever way you choose to go, have a great trip!

WELLNESS | by POSY GERING

WHAT KIND OF DAY IS IT GOING TO BE? Most of us turn to the weather report for a forecast. The truth is, it doesn’t matter if it’s sunny or rainy as much as it does what’s going on inside you. So instead, tune in to your internal weather. Scan your inner sky for signs of brightness. Describe your own high or low pressure systems. Your fog can lift by mid-morning or winds will blow the clouds away for a sunny afternoon. Even heavy precipitation can inform you. And, most importantly, remember that around here, if you don’t like the weather, just wait 15 minutes.

Using imagery like this gives you ways to notice, interact or change your perception. It’s an easy way to connect to what’s really going on internally. It lets you give others a snapshot of how you’re feeling without obligating them to fix anything or appearing to complain. Also, if times are tough, it can act as a reminder of that old adage: This too shall pass.

DESIGN | by DEBRA PRINZING

IF YOU’VE EVER BEEN TO TUSCANY, you may have come home with romantic photos of bright red geraniums spilling from a window box or over the rim of a terra-cotta flowerpot. There’s something irresistible about this cheery red flower. It’s the quintessential summer bloom, reminding us of sunshine, warmth, meals eaten al fresco-style, and the good life.

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Except this flower isn’t really a geranium.

Often called a “zonal geranium,” the true name of the popular red, coral, white or pink summer flower is Pelargonium x hortorum. These plants have fleshy stems that bear full clusters of blooms; the leaves are often ruffled, adding to their charming appearance. Pelargoniums hail from South Africa, so they prefer hot, dry environments and therefore will not thrive year-round in areas where winters are wet and cold. For the summer container or flower bed, though, nothing beats this plant. It will bloom almost continuously until the first frost. I especially love the fancy-leafed and scented varieties (with velvety leaves that smell like apple, chocolate, peppermint, lemon and more).

The true geranium, often called a “hardy geranium” or cranesbill, is a hardy perennial that will usually survive cold winters and then leaf out and bloom the following spring. Geraniums have smaller leaves and tinier flowers than showy pelargoniums, but they make up for their quieter demeanor by serving as the garden’s soft embroidery. As these plants grow, their small, roundish leaves and short stems with open-faced flowers knit together with nearby plants, filling in the garden’s bare spots with a carefree abandon. Two of my favorite cultivars include ‘Rozanne’, which produces almost iridescent purple-blue flowers, and ‘Ann Folkard’, admired for its chartreuse foliage and magenta-purple blooms.

The best news is that you don’t have to choose between pelargoniums and geraniums. Enjoy them both!

BACK TO BASICS | by JEAN GALTON

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FARMERS MARKETS IN THE SPRING are chock full of wonderful things. On my last visit, I bought spring greens for salad (chickweed, mizuna and arugula) and a few bunches of spring onions.

Looking very similar to scallions, spring onions have the very beginnings of onion bulbs on the ends of their long green stems.  They’re milder than fully developed onions but a bit zippier than scallions. Anyway, I took them home, rinsed and trimmed them and threw them on the grill with a steak. Yum.

Grilled Spring Onions
Serves 4

2 bunches spring onions, tops and roots trimmed, rinsed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt
Crumbled feta or blue cheese (optional)

Preheat a grill to high heat. Toss the onions with the olive oil and salt and grill until tender, turning a few times, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese if desired and serve.

PASSIONS | by SHERRY STRIPLING

IN SPRING A WOMAN’S THOUGHTS TURN TO TEE PARTIES, also known as golf foursomes. Golf teaches us patience, humility and to laugh at our friends, if not ourselves.

Somehow women remain the minority in golf – less than 25 percent of adult players. So take advantage of the sweet deals golf courses offer “the gals”, as we’re still called in the plaid-pants-and-cigar world of clubhouses.

American Express and Play Golf America dub June Women’s Golf Month, when participating courses offer free lessons for women 14 years of age and older. Look for other free or low-cost deals, too, such as club rentals, golf rule reviews, food or fashion shows. The card company even offers free online lessons via golf.com.

The course near my home holds a women’s clinic on Tuesday nights throughout the spring and early summer. For $5, we get a glass of champagne, range balls and a lesson on a different aspect of the game from a T-shaped hunk in tight golf slacks (or is that the champagne talking?).

Then, in the long evenings of gold-tipped twilight, we follow up the lesson with a discounted round with built-in golf mates.

Other clubs, such as the fabulous Glacier View near Glacier National Park in Montana, offer women free weekly clinics and a one-month “try-me” membership for all the golf you can play in June.

These benefits are lumped under “golf development” – ways for courses to grow interest. Ask around for good deals at your neighborhood course.

And if you don’t get enough golf in June, try July, which is “Family Month,” when many courses offer parent-child clinics, including “Take Your Daughter to the Course Week”, July 5-11.

Many who swim for fitness live for the two to four months of the year when we can swim in the real world. I fantasize lap after lap about a velvety bay that rewards the end of a favorite forest hike.  

But swimming outside requires a diligence that mindless lap swimming does not. The American Red Cross reports that nearly half who play in the water do so in areas with no lifeguard. With triathlon season upon us, here are some reminders of water safety for fitness swimmers:  

• Swim with a buddy.
• Wear a bright-colored cap so boat drivers can see you.
• If you’re swimming longer distances, consider tethering to a light plastic rope connected to a light float board. (I got the last one on the shelf last summer so now I swim with SpongeBob SquarePants.)
• Choose your area carefully. Find a designated swim area, if possible, and one with scalable banks.
• Trust that “No swimming signs” are there for good reason.
• Be aware of gradual chilling. If it’s cold, wear a wet suit.
• Swim parallel to the shore and know your limitations.

That’s it! Your reward for all those laps enjoyed. Swim with good sense so you’ll be around to dream about lake swimming when you get back in the pool this fall.

PASSIONS | by JANNA LUFKIN

WHAT’S YOUR IDEA OF THE PERFECT WEEKEND HOME? Is it a place out of town, a spot you drive hours to get to? Is it a place in the country or a loft in the city?

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What a luxury it would be to have such a retreat: A quiet place to rejuvenate, relax and regroup.

Many of us will never have a second home. However, the primary residence we do own is the place where most of our treasured memories are made. So, this summer — even for just a weekend or two — make your home feel like your favorite getaway.

Here are a few ideas:

• Picnic night: Once a week, pick up a variety of deli items, a bottle of wine and a few special treats. Clear a spot and spread a blanket. As the evening progresses, star gaze, catch fireflies and tell stories.
• Hire someone to clean your house and mow your lawn while you sit on the porch.
• Pay your kids to wash the car, then start a water fight with them afterward.
• Sleep in. Or get up early, grab your coffee and enjoy some quiet time reading, journaling or just putzing.
• Start a summer-memories scrapbook and add to it every year hereafter. Encourage your kids to draw pictures and teach them to use your camera. Summer through a child’s eyes is priceless.
• Set up a tent and leave it for the summer. It makes a great fort!
• Take the kids berry picking and make homemade ice cream.

To some, owning a home can feel like more of a chore than a luxury. But for many of us these days, owning one home is a luxury — one we sometimes just need a little break from.

WELLNESS | by SHERRY STRIPLING

ONCE UPON A TIME, WE TOOK VACATIONS to reinvent ourselves. Cancel the mail, lock the door, hit the road and become someone else. We were unplugged, out of the bosses’ reach and able to fully experience our ice-cream cone as we watched Old Faithful spew.

Today, we might be wearing flip flops and shorts far from home, but it feels like we’re still in high heels as we frantically resend files from our Blackberries in the midst of our vacations.

I vow to stay unplugged at least every second day on my vacation this year, one small step for womankind to re-sharpen the lines between work and “life,” formerly known as leisure and family time.

Here’s what I’m telling myself:

• I’ll do better at whatever the task if I come back refreshed.
• Ideas need incubation time. Vacation for me is a time to dream and gain confidence in life (and work) possibilities.
• Is it really less stressful to handle a work issue right away without documents or a work frame of mind?
• What am I saying to family and friends if I can never be with them fully?

Think of the room in the suitcase if you leave behind the PIN numbers, passwords, to-do lists, day timers and negative thoughts of non-stop news. Think of the time!

If willpower fails, you can always go where cell phones don’t. To the moon, Alice. To the moon.

WELLNESS | by POSY GERING

MY MIND IS A JUMBLE of things I’m supposed to do, endless refrains of what I should have done, forecasts of gloom about the future based on my wild assumptions and scattered patches of happiness. Mostly when I sit down to meditate, it’s an opportunity to

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make another list or obsessively replay a conversation gone bad. I’ve found a way to stop it: Stop for a moment of wonder each day.

I find wonder in the cracks of my life, the spaces between the so-called “very important things.” I really look at some of the art on my walls that has become invisible to me. I notice the shadow of the weeds I am pulling. I look at a single flower and its effect on the space around it. When I surrender to that moment, my mind stops chattering, I’m fully present and I feel expansive … in other words, I’ve given my brain and Being a meditation break.