Start Here
Welcome. I'm really glad you found your way here.
This space, Home in the Finger Lakes, is about place, memory, and the quiet work of building a life that feels rooted and real. It's part farm journal, part local history notebook, part seasonal kitchen, and part honest reflection on home, legacy, and living with intention.
If you're new here, this page will help you find what you're looking for without wandering aimlessly like someone who just walked into an antique mall with no map.
A Little About Me
I'm Jennifer, writer, maker, historian-at-heart, and longtime Finger Lakes resident. I live on a small family farm where the seasons dictate the pace of life whether I'm ready or not.
I write about:
- Old houses and old things
- Food rooted in tradition and place
- Farm and home life in Upstate New York
- Simple living that's practical, not performative
- Local history, memory, and preservation
- The beauty of making do, mending, and remembering
Where to Start Reading
If you're not sure where to begin, try one of these paths, pick the one that sounds most like you.
Home & Life
For readers who love gardens, cut flowers, chickens, old kitchens, seasonal rhythms, and homes that feel lived in.
- Farm routines and seasonal living
- Cut flowers and growing with intention
- Early American and primitive home inspiration
Food Rooted in Place
These aren't "food blog" recipes, they're the kind you actually make, tied to family, region, and memory.
- Finger Lakes and Upstate New York recipes
- Heritage cooking and simple techniques
- Seasonal, cast-iron, from-the-pan food
History, Heritage & Old Things
If you slow down for cemeteries, museums, handwritten ledgers, and well-worn quilts.
- Local history and preservation
- Old houses and historic places
- Vintage finds with stories
Making & Mending
Hands-on projects that value reuse, thrift, and resourcefulness.
- Simple DIYs and handmade projects
- Vintage textiles and found materials
- Crafts tied to season and tradition
Stories & Reflections
The quieter corner of the house.
- Personal essays and seasonal reflections
- Writing about memory, change, and legacy
- Pieces that don't fit neatly anywhere else-and aren't supposed to
Not Sure What You're Looking For?
That's okay. Some of the best things here are found slowly.
You can browse by season, explore posts by topic, or simply start with the most recent entries and see where they lead.
Just like home, this site isn't meant to be rushed. It's meant to be returned to.
One Last Thing
If you've ever felt drawn to old places, slow mornings, handwritten recipes, or the idea that home is something you tend, not something you buy, you're in the right place.
Make yourself comfortable.