Ella Sandberg

As a firstborn, with tendencies towards tenacity, just-do-it-ed-ness, and people-pleasing, I love these two little words... good work We are all called to some kind of work: in the home, out of the home, in our families, with our friends, in our communities, in an office, in the quiet hours of a night shift, or in the bright hours of a day job that keeps you outside no matter the weather. My thoughts are not meant to be a megaphone-shouting match to tell anybody what their call to work is...

Last fall, Peter and I had a brilliant idea: why not bring chickens into our lives come the spring of 2026? Clearly, nothing says "perfect timing" like juggling full-time jobs in Washington, D.C., living in a suburban townhouse during the week, and escaping to our homestead on the weekends. Who needs rest when you can have chickens? We hatched a plan to spice up our weekend warrior homestead with some feathery friends. Our mission: find gadgets and gizmos to automate chicken care so we could...

Meet Ruth, my grandma (my mom's mom), and oh my, was she a lovely woman in all the ways a wife, mother, grandmother, and friend can be lovely. Ruth was a schoolteacher and loved her family and community well. She kept charge of her home in a gentle, orderly, and masterful way, ensuring everything was in its place and ready for company at a moment's notice. Ruth was an excellent cook and cookie maker and had funny rules about bread bags being cut down so there were no long plastic "tails" on...