Articles written by Becky Lane

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About me - Becky Lane

Becky T. Lane lives with her husband in the Texas Hill Country, near Austin. When not writing or in the garden, you will probably find her out foraging for food - seeking out local growers and food artisans. She chronicles her transition from big city suburbanite,

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Celebrations & Holidays > Celebrations & Holidays (Other) Celebrations: Tips for planning your next party: 1 of 9

Do you ever cringe at the thought of entertaining, believing that you must pull off one of those picture-perfect affairs, only seen in magazines, to please your guests? Well, I've spent years perfecting the art of throwing parties that are as much fun for me as they are for my guests, and I'm going to share some of my secret...
Creative Writing > Memoirs Memoirs: True stories about urban gardening: 8 of 34

YOU COULD HAVE WARNED ME When I first decided to take a stab at growing a few vegetables, we happened to be living in the burbs just north of Dallas, Texas. Urban sprawl had gone rampant in this area, and it was sucking up farming communities right and left, as it inched its way ever outward. Consequently, our neighborhood h...
Home & Garden > Gardening (Other) How to plant a victory garden: 1 of 4

During both World Wars, citizens were encouraged to plant kitchen gardens at home and in their communities. Not only did they go a long way towards relieving food shortages, they also acted as morale boosters that allowed civilians to feel empowered by their contributions to the war effort. In the process, people discovered ...
Home & Garden > Houseplants Houseplants: How to care for lemon verbena: 1 of 1

HOW TO CARE FOR LEMON VERBENA Lemon Verbena is a delightful woody perennial with graceful arching branches, lance-like leaves, and a sweet, clean lemon fragrance. It produces spikes of tiny white or lavender blossoms late summer to fall. The leaves can be used either fresh or dried, for culinary purposes both sweet and savor...
Society & Lifestyle > Lifestyles The benefits (for everyone) of having a work-life balance: 5 of 7

TRADEOFFS I suspect...no, I am certain, that some people resent the fact that I have mostly just worked part-time. I'm not sure how to explain this without going on the defensive and making excuses. All I can say is, we've tried it all three ways, and this is what worked best for us. As many women discovered, once the 60's a...
Celebrations & Holidays > Thanksgiving Thanksgiving: Fantasies versus realities: 6 of 8

When it comes to pain tolerance, my parents are at opposite ends of the spectrum. My father is your classic stoic. He has a serious blood disorder requiring weekly transfusions, but refuses to give in to it. Mom, on the other hand, is what you might call hypersensitive. One time a waitress was handing our plates across to us...
Society & Lifestyle > Lifestyles Yearning for something more out of life: 18 of 22

EVOLUTION OF A LOCAVORE I have no idea how I ended up on this quest for "the good life." It certainly wasn't part of my rearing. Perhaps I was just born with a strong vein of common sense running through me. I come from a long line of city slickers who were very quick to embrace every modern domestic technology that came alo...
Relationships & Family > Marriage & Intimacy Enjoying marital bliss after the honeymoon stage: 21 of 25

Did I ever tell you how I met my husband? When I first got to the University of Texas, I took a job in my dorm's cafeteria. I had only been there a short time when my roommate caused an embarrassing incident. She was quite the head-turner, with glossy hair falling down past her tuckus. She was also very nearsighted, but too ...
Creative Writing > Memoirs Memoirs My true garden story: 250 of 287

PHILOSOPHICAL SCHISMS I read recently of a writer who had gradually scaled back on her gardens, due to advancing age, increased writing demands, time spent at their second home in New Mexico, and due to the ravages that flood and drought had wrought upon their property. Bit by bit, the various sections of her garden have rev...
Relationships & Family > Communication Issues Should families take time out for dinner and communication?: 18 of 18

Once upon a time, I found myself wondering why so many families were moving away from the dinner table. It just made no sense to me. My first battle as a newlywed, was diplomatically convincing my young husband that, although I adored his family, perhaps their system of eating dinner each night, on trays in front of the TV, ...