Mise en place: a French phrase meaning “everything in its place.” As any competent cook knows, it also describes a time-honored culinary technique. Sounds fancy, but really, it isn’t; it is just common sense. In the kitchen, or anywhere else, you should know what… Read More
There are three things I have always loved about Texas, and which I sorely missed during the 40 or so years I lived out-of-state: 1) the endless, cloudless perfect blue sky; 2) the bluebonnets that blanket the highways and byways during the early spring; and… Read More
So here we are moving up to tax time. I don’t mean to be smug, but I got our taxes completed and in at the end of February. Not that I am expecting any big refund or anything, but in light of the dismantling of… Read More
I have a thing for Presidential Libraries. It doesn’t matter who the president was, when he was in office, or what politics he espoused. If he was a President of the United States and has a library to visit, then I”m there, not… Read More
A dear old friend of mine texted me last week that he was in the hospital and had just been told that he had only a few months to live. His text was bizarre, full of Woody Guthrie quotes and quixotic quips that… Read More
Perhaps the most memorable song from the 1967 film The Graduate is Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence.” Who can forget the final scene when Elaine, in her white wedding dress, and Ben, in his white hoodie, plop themselves down, breathless and laughing,… Read More
Fifty years ago this Christmas we got our first “show” puppy (meaning a pure bred canine with all the lineage and breeder certifications behind it to qualify for American Kennel Club shows). He was a surprise gift from my husband, probably a subtle incentive intended… Read More
Okay, so here we are in the middle of November with Thanksgiving around the corner and the Christmas holidays in our sights. I don’t know about you, but so far, the month of November has been a real bummer for me. Between Thanksgiving being the… Read More
A malaise is defined as a general discomfort or illness that is, ironically, difficult to define — but not always. The word comes from the French root mal, meaning bad, and aise, meaning ease. Bad ease — you’d better believe it. Couldn’t be a better… Read More
If you’ve been reading this web post regularly, you know that I am really into Halloween. At one point, I actually had more storage bins full of Halloween decorations than I did for Christmas (though I have been trying bit-by-bit to scale back on all… Read More
the narrative thread 