CHUSday: What Do Your Cookbooks Say About You?
We’re having company to dinner. Four friends we traveled with to Guatemala several years ago are coming to eat my homemade tortillas with all the (vegetarian) fixings. Along with this I’ve made Cuban black beans and brown rice. You can’t serve this meal to just anyone, but these friends? You bet. In exchange, they’re bringing…
Read MoreSunday Poetry: Reading Away from Ourselves
Welcome to Sunday Poetry. If this is your first visit you can read about the purpose and inspiration of my Sunday poetry blogs here. This week and last I’ve blogged about old books, so today’s poem is an ode to books written by Billy Collins, the poet who convinced me, after a lecture at Chautauqua Institution two years…
Read MoreLists: The Tyranny of Cell Phones
Remember lists? That’s right. It’s time for a new entry. Read about my list posts here, then comment and add your own thoughts to this one and any others coming up. At the end of the month Random.org will choose a winner from everyone who added to a March list to receive an autographed novel. …
Read MoreOld Friends and Book Ends: Repurposing Your Old Books
I was delighted to get so many responses last week to my personal book quandary. Remember, I asked what to with a box of old, not particularly valuable, books before I move? One reader suggested looking at Etsy.com, where books are routinely made into crafts. So, on a whim this morning, after checking Etsy, I began looking for…
Read MoreSunday Poetry: What Else Can He Do But Run?
Welcome to Sunday Poetry. If this is your first visit you can read about the purpose and inspiration of my Sunday poetry blogs here. I’ve spent the last few weeks trying to figure out my future. My husband is retiring this summer, and we plan to move south. Where? Not quite sure. When? Don’t know that, either. When…
Read MoreThe Pleasure and Treasure of Old Books
We’re moving. I’ve mentioned that before, but today it’s just shorthand. If you’ve moved, you understand. Part of moving is decluttering. I’ve mentioned that, as well. Going through memorabilia has a certain charm. Yesterday I sorted through a bag of old cutlery, separating the silverplate pieces from the stainless. The silverplate was my mother’s, not…
Read MoreCHU Ought To Be in Pictures
Today a quick CHUsday update. Remember CHU or Cookbook Hoarders Unlimited? Last year we had fun sharing recipes from cookbooks we hadn’t used in years or even possibly, never. When the giveaway that went with it ended I promised occasional CHU updates if I found something to share, and today I’m as good as my…
Read MoreSunday Poetry: By The Selves We Had To Be
Welcome to Sunday Poetry. If this is your first visit you can read about the purpose and inspiration of my Sunday poetry blogs here. I collect poetry as I find it. Sometimes I search while writing my own chapters or paragraphs, trying to avoid setting more words on paper myself. Sometimes I search when a poem I’ve stumbled on hasn’t spoken…
Read MoreAll Those Things I Needed To Know
The title of this blog sounds like a slightly different version of my first list blog, doesn’t it? Of course for that one I had questions that had never been answered. Today I’m sharing answers to questions I’ve researched for my next book. Every novel requires a mountain of research. Sometimes it’s as mundane as the right word…
Read MoreFinding Treasure in the Strangest Places
My husband and I are about to start a new adventure. We are moving, although our destination is undecided, and it’s time to put our house on the market. If you’ve ever moved, you know the next thing that happens. Not choosing a realtor, not painting the woodwork. Decluttering. Michael’s plan to declutter is simple. Dump…
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