Ilyana

You’re standing on the bath mat, dripping, holding a soggy towel, and the little clock in your head is ticking toward checkout. Do you drop it on the floor and look like you were raised in a barn? Or drape it over the tub so someone thinks kindly of you on the way out? I’ve … Read more

I bought my first rain barrel on a whim, wedged it under the downspout by the back porch, and felt oddly rebellious about it. Then a neighbor said something offhand about people getting arrested for that sort of thing. I laughed. Later that night I found myself googling it anyway, because the internet loves a … Read more

If I could have things my way, I would sleep with a mountain of quilts, duvets, and pillows. However, my husband isn’t someone who’s perpetually cold like I am, so our bed situation is pretty straightforward – fitted sheet, top sheet, one pillow each, and a thin quilt. If your bed setup is also along … Read more

I cut open a can of Spam one day and right away saw white lumps of fat in the Spam. My initial reaction was that they looked like mold. I just stood there staring at them, questioning if I had possibly ruined my lunch. If you have ever found white specks in your canned meat … Read more

There I was, standing over the trash can with a rinsed sandwich bag pinched between two fingers, doing that little internal math everyone does. Toss it and feel wasteful? Or keep it and feel vaguely unhygienic? I hovered there way too long. And honestly, that tiny stalemate is exactly why I finally sat down to figure … Read more