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So glad you’re here. Six decades of living has taught me a useful thing or two about life. Now I feel duty-bound to pass along my know-how to the next generation. But first, a brief introduction… My given name is Janet Provost, but you can call me Nani.
I was born on a small New England farm near the tail end of the late, great Baby Boom. My first home was a cerca 1800s farmhouse. At age five, my dad moved the eight of us down to Florida for warmer weather. I’ve lived in a lot of different places over the years but no matter where I am, my heart has remained rooted on the farm… close to nature and the rhythm of life.
I’ve always had the feeling I was born too late. A decade earlier, in 1950, would’ve been a better fit –when gentlemen held doors open for ladies — when it took one paycheck to support a family — when there were no latchkey kids because mom or somebody was always at home — before prayer and civics were taken out of school — before things got so complicated, crazy, and political. Before America lost its way.
But now a growing number of folks are discovering that we don’t have to rely on the corporate world to supply us with every morsel of food, consumer good, and income source we need. With a little effort and ingenuity, we can be healthier and happier simply by being more self-reliant like our predecessors were. We can enjoy a simpler life centered around what matters most — home, family, and community; a life well nourished by healthy food and wholesome values.
So, come along with me to rediscover our forgotten heritage. When the roots of the tree are strong, the branches flourish and bear good fruit.
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My father was a turret gunner in the US Navy in WWII. He met my mother when she was entertaining the troops in a USO show.
During the not-so Great Depression, my mother had to wear the same pair of patent leather shoes for her first few years of primary school. So her toes grew in curled up and scrunched like a Barbie doll’s. As an adult, she wore a size 4 1/2 shoe.
At age ten, when my parents divorced, I learned how to cook dinner for the remaining five of us at home. My mom would scrawl the directions in cursive before heading to work, leaving me to figure things out for myself. My first attempt at cooking dinner was rather traumatic. I cried when I read that I’d have to shove my hand up the cavity of a raw chicken and pull the gizzards out! Somehow, I survived and cooking is now one of my passions.
As a teenager, I took an interest in my mom’s stack of Prevention magazines in the bathroom. That’s when I learned how vitamins, herbs, and natural supplements support human health and healing. I’ve had the same tattered, old herb book since 1978 and I’ve been using my homeopathic kit since 1995. Except for acute and emergency conditions, I can usually cure whatever the ailment is with the remedies I have on hand.
My last childhood home stood just three miles from the long-abandoned Merryweather Post estate. We’d often wonder what lay behind the high stuccoed wall, capped with broken glass, and the enormous Spanish Bayonets that stood guard around the property. Little did we know that it would one day become the famous, Mar-a-Lago.
In an earlier incarnation, I taught English as a Foreign Language while living on three different continents. I’ve always loved food from different cultures, so in addition to American favorites, here you’ll find traditions, tips, and recipes I’ve picked up from foreign lands.
Living abroad has made me a more creative cook and expanded my cultural horizons. When you don’t have all the things you need on hand, you learn to improvise and experiment.
Truly, life is where you make it. See you on the trail!
Here you’ll rediscover ageless traditions and clever tips for simple, cozy living. Learn more…