Category Archives: Uncategorized

Winter and Beginnings

Posted on January 26, 2023 by Kathy

On this last Wednesday of the month, we’re finally getting around to January, whose root is Janus, the Roman god of doorways, beginnings and endings, and transitions. His face appeared on either side of a door, so that he could … Continue reading →

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Sub Rosa

Posted on January 17, 2023 by Kathy

On Monday, I shared the secret ingredient in my coffee cake with you all. Don’t tell my housemates, because they shun yogurt and sour cream. Mention using bacteria in order to “culture” milk? You should see the looks on their … Continue reading →

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Question of the Day

Posted on January 14, 2023 by Kathy

Actually, two questions. Do you feel you have to finish a book once you start it, or are you okay with sometimes quitting on a book? If the latter, what are your criteria? How much of a chance do you … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Uncategorized, Weekend Editions | Tagged , , , | 22 Comments

More Bill Cunningham

Posted on January 7, 2023 by Kathy

In Instead of Education: Ways to Help People Do Things Better (1976), John Holt wrote, “A life worth living, and work worth doing–that is what I want for children (and all people), not just, or not even, something called ‘a … Continue reading →

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A Sense of Humors

Posted on January 4, 2023 by Kathy

From ancient times well into the 19th century, Westerners believed that four bodily fluids governed human personality and health. These fluids, called humors, derived from the four elements–earth, fire, water, and air—because these four elements composed everything. The Latin word … Continue reading →

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Little Free Book

Posted on January 1, 2023 by Kathy

Occasionally someone will ask me how I choose what to read. It’s a hard question to answer, because there’s no overriding pattern to my choices. One book group meets once a month, the other every other month. That makes about … Continue reading →

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Another Marvelous Thing

Posted on December 27, 2022 by Kathy

Laurie Colwin wrote memorable, funny novels (Happy All the Time, Family Happiness); ironic, pithy short stories (The Lone Pilgrim and other collections); and two volumes of essays about food: Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen and More Home Cooking: … Continue reading →

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Honoring the Bleak Midwinter

Posted on December 23, 2022 by Kathy

One of my favorite Christmas carols is “In the Bleak Midwinter.” The verses are by Christina Rossetti (1830-1894), an English poet. They were set to music by Gustav Holst in 1906. The Pre-Raphaelites, of whom Rossetti was a part, strove … Continue reading →

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Baking Cookies, Remembering Dee

Posted on December 19, 2022 by Kathy

Christmas is a time for joy, but also a time for grief. Holiday preparations remind me of my mother-in-law, Dee Ewing, who died in 1993. My childhood Christmases were fine, certainly not traumatic, but sometimes strained and stressful. My Christmas … Continue reading →

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Caveat Emptor

Posted on December 14, 2022 by Kathy

My sister reports Latin-related Jeopardy questions (oops, I mean “answers”) to me, the former Latin teacher. She told me that Monday’s show ended with the category “Latin Phrases.” Here’s the clue: “Originally, this 3-word phrase referred to when a doctor … Continue reading →

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