Beth Carpenter Books

"What advice would you give your sixteen-year-old self?" I saw that headline somewhere, and it got me thinking. At sixteen, I was a rule follower. I got good grades, because I did what teachers asked me to do. I assumed if I continued down the path the experts had laid out, all would be well. It took me a long time to discover this: The ten commandments were brought down from the mountain on a stone tablet; all other rules were made by people, and people are fallible. Now don't get me wrong. Rules and tradition are important. The only way to make progress in society is to build on the experience of those who came before us. It's a sign of wisdom to listen to those who have been down the path and can give us the pitfalls and highlights. But nobody knows everything, and if they say they do, they're lying. In college, I continued to follow the rules. If my instructor assigned reading, I read. If the TA rambled incoherently in the 8:30 lecture, I was there, ...

Chicken Pot Pie Unbaked In honor of Pi Day, I've been making pies, and as I cooked, I reached far back in my memory for those formulas I learned in math class.    As I recall, pi ( π  )  equals 3.141. Circumference equals 2 times  π    times radius (1/2 of diameter), and area equals  π    times radius squared.  Strawberry Pie So: *The chicken pot pie is in a ten-inch pan, with an area of about 247 square inches and a circumference of 34.41 inches.  *Dessert is in a nine-inch pan, so we'll enjoy just under 200 square inches of strawberry cream-cheese pie in pecan crust for dessert. And to the dedicated math teachers of the world - for patiently teaching us to calculate whether two mediums or one large pizza is a better buy - thank you.  And thank you for introducing us to pi. Happy Pi Day.

Okay, I know I’m rushing the season. But the seed racks in the stores were calling me, and once I got them home, I couldn’t resist starting a few cool-weather vegetables. I’ll plant them outside in a few days and if they don’t grow, I’ve only lost a dozen seeds. If they do, I’ll have early lettuce and Brussels sprouts. Historically, the last frost date isn’t until early May, and yes, it’s been dipping into freezing temperatures at night. I'm more than a month early according to sound gardening advice.  But the lizards are coming out to bask in the sun and drive the dog crazy.  The  peach tree is blooming.  It feels like spring.  So I’ll risk it.   You’d think a farmer’s daughter would know better than to be suckered by an early warm spell, but truth be known, I’m an optimist. And sometimes, optimism pays off .