Spring wild pesto has become an annual tradition in the writer’s house. ( Raheli Harper) How motherhood taught me to forage For many years, I wanted to learn how to forage. I would read guidebooks and inspiring blog posts by and about people who... dirt jr. 02 Jun 2025 | 11:21
The world in a jar We have developed terrarium fever. I warn you, it could be contagious. This affliction began over the winter with terrarium... dirt jr. 05 Mar 2025 | 01:28
Eli Harper checking out the scenery at Glacier National Park in Montana ( Jim Harper) Bucket list time We are hitting this lovely window of time when our children’s schedules are not too complex (but only just barely) and they... dirt jr. 11 Dec 2024 | 11:47
The unlikely bait that hooked us on fishing “Why is it whenever a tackle box slips out of your hand, it never falls right side up and closed?” My kids are constantly... dirt jr. 11 Sep 2024 | 10:29
Harper’s 12-year-old with his molded Jello “Perfection Salad,” involving cabbage, celery and stuffed olives. ( Photo by Raheli Harper) Unchaperoned kitchen experiments I have been trying to teach my children how to cook for years, bits and pieces at a time. They are proud to know how to make... dirt jr. 07 Jun 2024 | 12:26
The writer’s son, 12, with his goats. His PowerPoint presentation clearly hit its mark. ( Raheli Harper) Kids raising (goat) kids When my son asks to get goats, my husband and I are charmed by our adorable kid, but we are no fools. I still have to remind... dirt jr. 07 Dec 2023 | 11:48
The writer’s kids reading the old fashioned way at the Goshen Public Library. ( Raheli Harper) We worry about reading. Should we? Reading feels so much more complicated now that I did when I was my kid’s age. I used to have school reading, and I liked... dirt jr. 07 Sep 2023 | 03:39
We have time: a busy family’s mantra There is a sense of urgency in the spring. Even as the days warm up and we spend long afternoons enjoying the sun and shirking... Day Tripper 01 Mar 2023 | 10:27
The writer as a young girl. Boxes of family photos narrowly averted death by basement leak and are now backed up. ( Raheli Harper) Upgrading the ol‘ box of photos “We are the last generation carting around boxes of old photos,” my friend Danielle said to me. I had just finished telling... dirt jr. 27 Sep 2022 | 11:14
Two years of the writer’s journals. ( Raheli Harper) The art of the brain dump Journaling is my daily exhaust valve for the pressure cooker that is parenting. Well, one of my exhaust valves. I write because... dirt jr. 06 Jun 2022 | 02:27
Gardening when the stakes feel high The gardening season is upon us again. And here I stand trying to read the wind and decide if we are growing for a time of... dirt jr. 07 Mar 2022 | 12:16
Hi-tech, low-tech winter afternoons On these cold afternoons, when we might have gone out to play or had activities in the fall, we have been settling into some... dirt jr. 10 Dec 2021 | 10:01
To keep them feeling fresh, you can put away half the games every month, and bring out the other half. ( By Raheli Harper) The game is the teacher My son came home from sleepaway camp with a new love of card games – rainy days were good for playing Uno and Magic the Gathering... dirt jr. 09 Sep 2021 | 02:15
Complicated lunchboxes I have known In 2007, my then-boyfriend Jim and I bought some complex travel lunch kits called Mr. Bento. There was an insulated canister... dirt jr. 25 Feb 2021 | 12:51
A six-year-old’s map, painted with coffee. ( Raheli Harper) Mapping the world according to you In a time of staying put, my family is engrossed by maps. In some ways, maps have nothing to do with travel – they are a... dirt jr. 23 Nov 2020 | 03:12
