All Purls. No Swine.
Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering 'it will be happier'--Alfred, Lord Tennyson Crimenutely. In my search for a suitable quote of the day for New Year's Eve, I stumbled over a little-known work (at least, I didn't know about it, which makes it little-known in my book) by Alfred, Lord… Continue reading Two from Tennyson for New Year’s Eve
Every year, for almost more years than I can count whether we're together or apart, my family has raised a glass each Christmas season to those we love but won’t see again in this world, and to those we love who are still with us, but who are not able to share our celebration, because… Continue reading …To Absent Friends and Loved Ones, 2022…
Cross-posted from Ricochet: And a conclusion: If you only buy one book in 2023, make it this one. I hope I’m not alone in my annual habit of buying myself the occasional Christmas present, wrapping it up, and labeling it “with love from the dogs–we tried not to slobber on it” or “from the sheep–thanks for the hay!” or “affectionately,… Continue reading From Utmost East to Utmost West: A Very Preliminary Book Review
Cross-posted from Ricochet: Oh, “dear, dear, dear.” I tried out that phrase, beloved of my father when dealing with a screaming infant, on my 18-month-old niece a few days ago. She immediately picked it up and responded, “deoo, deoo, deoo,” thus instituting the first two-way conversation we’ve ever had, even if only over the phone. I’m… Continue reading Music Hall Memories
The word "for" is not a pronoun. That's a fruitcake. Herewith, my dad's much-loved recipe for mince pies--one which I have shared many times, both online and in-person--from the Farmhouse Fare cookbook: Plum Mincemeat 4 lbs plums 2 lemons 1 cup water 8 large cooking apples 4 oz currants 4 oz raisins 4 oz sultanas… Continue reading Post #582
Well, peeps. I’ve spent quite a bit of time investigating and watching much of the latest “Harry and Meghan” outpourings on Netflix, so you don’t have to. (A Nigerian prince will be contacting you shortly and directing your gratitude-filled donations to me. Please follow through. Trust me; I deserve them.) As many of you know,… Continue reading “Infinite Wrath, and Infinite Despair”
...is to tell their stories. That's what I've tried to do, over the years, with my family members--father, mother, husband, stepson Sam, stepson Mike, friend Colleen, Mr. Right's first wife, Auntie Pat, and many others I've lost over the years. Some of them certainly didn't start out as natural allies. But they ended up as… Continue reading The Best Way to Memorialize the Dead…
My head kept telling me she wouldn’t live forever, but my heart simply would not believe it: Patricia Helen Mead Muffett, July 13, 1923–December 10, 2022, Rest in Peace. It’s the first time for a little more than one-hundred fifteen years, that neither my Dad, nor at least one of his siblings, has walked the… Continue reading Ave Atque Vale: Goodbye, Miss Chips
If you surround yourself with people who support your upward aim, they will not tolerate your cynicism and destructiveness. They will instead encourage you when you do good for yourself and others and punish you carefully when you do not. This will help you bolster your resolve to do what you should do, in the… Continue reading The Greatest and First Rule: Make Friends With People Who Want the Best For You