My grandmother kept a wardrobe in her basement (which was actually more like a child’s-dream-playland than it was a regular ol’ basement).  As I type this I inhale deeply catching the faint aroma of cedar lingering in my mind’s olfactory memory.  Gram’s wardrobe was complete with wool coats, fur coats, and other creatures formed into [...]

On the playground
you were toast if you
ran like a girl
In gym class
you were picked last if you
threw like a girl
With the neighbors
you were left behind if you
were chicken like a girl
I was just tryin’ to figure out how to be in this world
So
I ran fast
I threw far
I became brave
I climbed out of windows on bedsheets
I [...]

Today I celebrate the entrance into the world of my brand new twin nieces!  I’m so excited and at the same time in awe of the responsibility of having these little people who will be in my life forever from this day forward.
I think about my Aunt and the ways she has, and continues to [...]

Yep, its true.  I have been gracing the world with my Mavliness for 30 years
I wish to thank all of you who’ve made my life possible–whether in grueling labor (and it was people, I was breach!  Guess I always had to do things a little different right from the start), or in teaching [...]

lynne-reid-banks

I am currently reading an amazing book, Miriam’s Kitchen, in which Elizabeth Ehrlich tells her story of rediscovering the rich faith of her heritage.  Her story is inextricably fused with the sights, sounds, and smells of her bubbe’s kitchen and table.  Being an aficionado of all things culinary, reading a book that is not only [...]

I have thoroughly enjoyed the recent trend of self-serve frozen yogurt and help-yourself topping bar that I have seen pop up around Southern California lately. 
Today I had a delicious afternoon of kindred conversation with a dear friend while enjoying a tastey frozen treat from Cherry On Top.  When you enter the shop you can obtain [...]

I spent the better part of yesterday in a near-by clinic hooked up to an IV replenishing the fluids I lost because I spent a better part of the night before…well if you’ve ever been hit by a stomach bug, you know! Basically my body was wringing itself of every last drop of moisture [...]

I recently watched the classic movie, Fried Green Tomatos.  In the movie, a discontented housewife (Evelyn Couch) meets a spunky elder woman (Ninny Threadgoode, played by the beloved Jessica Tandy) on a visit to a nursing home.  Ninny engages Evelyn in conversation and over the course of their visits, Ninny shares with Evelyn a lifetime [...]