Joy is…
...discovering that the parsley I sowed ten days ago is sprouting! PS: Because "joy" is my word of the year, I've decided to record moments of joy. I hope that will help me learn more about it. Also, I am joyous that I managed to sow this in time to perhaps have fresh parsley for Passover. I always intended to [...]
Cleaning Out Book Shelves
On a recent Sunday, the mood struck me to finally weed out the three shelves in our big wall of books that are dedicated to my collection of memoirs. The shelves were sagging under stacks of books piled in front of rows of books. Since I teach memoir and review memoirs, there's a steady influx of them, and they need to [...]
In Search of Spring Flowers at the Garfield Park Conservatory
I'm usually not a spring person, but this year I am hungry (hungry!) for spring flowers and vibrant colors, and so yesterday I took myself on an Artist's Date to the Garfield Park Conservatory. Today is the official start of spring but outside the world is grey and ugly. The ground is muddy, the grass the color of wet straw, [...]
Greetings from the Blue Ridge Mountains
This photo is from one of my jaunts during my time at the VCCA. Since I'm bummed by all the snow we've had, yet again, here at home in Chicago, this is a little reminder that the world can be free of snow, and temperatures can be above freezing. I actually got out of the car on my drive along [...]
What Makes Winter Bearable
Starting a fire at 10:00 a.m. Ordering a hyacinth garden for a friend recovering from surgery Stocking up on sandalwood lotion and Dead Sea bath salts Hot chocolate for morning break Red lentil soup for lunch Kaiserschmarrn for dinner Roasted marshmallows for dessert Silk long johns that keep thighs from turning pink LL Bean rubber snow boots that allow trudging through slush [...]
Visiting Monticello in Winter
President Jefferson's Monticello estate in winter While I was at the VCCA, I visited Monticello, President Thomas Jefferson's estate. It is near Charlottesville, a good hour's drive from the VCCA. I happened to go on one of the coldest days there, when temperatures were hovering around 20F, which is pretty cold by Virginia standards. Consequently, I had the [...]