There comes a time in every mother’s life when she simply has to put her foot down. Dad recalls the first time Mom did this. It was in the mid-1960s, we were living in Pittsfield, and there was too much cussin’ going on in our house. “Mom got on my case,” he remembers. I asked Dad, “So what was it, mostly ‘hell’ and ‘damn’?” ” … bastard, too.” The response came much sooner than I would have expected. For those…
With apologies to Saint Patrick and every last Irish ancestor who came before me, let me just say that cauliflower is a great substitution for potatoes. Whether you’re looking for a keto recipe or simply something different, this Fauxtato Salad comes highly recommended. (Reminder, the French word “faux,” meaning “false,” is pronounced “foh.”) Simply take your favorite potato salad recipe and convert it. Fauxtato Salad (keto recipe) 1 head fresh cauliflower, steamed6-8 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, sliced/chopped1 cup mayonnaise2-4 Tablespoons of…
Two of the four books I read this month are often quoted, even in modern times. From William Shakespeare to Oscar Wilde, their centuries-old writings are still read and quoted frequently. Week 1: The Confidential Agent by Graham Greene This is the third in my Folio Society set of Graham Greene books, and it’s my favorite so far. Our hero is … well, a nerd. He’s not in this thriller situation for anything other than good. Identified only as “D,”…
“I don’t know why you want to vote. You vote them in, the shit-asses do whatever they want anyway.” – Mike Mehling, circa 1940s Tuesday was the 100th anniversary of women getting the vote, so I started asking family members if they had any stories about our female ancestors voting for the first time, presumably in 1920. Gary’s immediate response was the above quote from his maternal grandfather, Mike Mehling (1888-1964). He certainly made no bones about his opinions, usually…
“You’ve got to pay more attention to current events – today is HUGE!” It was August 8, 1974, and my friend Jenny was beside herself with glee. Although just 16, she followed politics closely and was overjoyed that President Richard Nixon was about to resign in disgrace, following the Watergate Scandal. Despite Jenny’s urging, I simply wasn’t into politics – or current events for that matter. The “news bug” would bite me in college as I took journalism classes, but…
Along with many others in July, we hopped onto Disney+ for a month to take a look at the film version of the Broadway smash Hamilton. It was phenomenal. Memories flooded back as I thought back to my early teens, Girl Scouts, and a community service project at the Burr Mansion. We moved to Fairfield, Connecticut, during the summer of 1970. In the fall, I joined the local Cadette Girl Scout troop and started working on badges. For the “My…
To mask, or not to mask … Why is that even a question? I’m old enough to remember the national flap when seat belts were made mandatory. Even as a kid, I thought it was ridiculous to see adults rail about having a “constitutional right” to carry their baby on their lap while in a car. Or – gasp – not wear a seat belt so as not to wrinkle their clothes. The politicization of masks is a national disgrace….
Happy Birthday, Della Reese. Born on July 6, 1931 in Detroit, she passed away in 2017. She grew up to be a household name. A singer, TV and film star, talk-show host, minister. My first year at Indiana University, Della Reese performed in the “Little 500 Variety Show” at the IU Auditorium. So did the Singing Hoosiers. Ms. Reese was kind enough to allow us to queue up at her dressing room door if we wanted to say hello and…
Gary doesn’t like snakes. Not one bit. Living on a farm, though, there are plenty of opportunities for reptilian encounters. Here are just a few: Pssst! Up here! The other morning, Gary headed out to our garage to hop on his John Deere lawnmower, as the grass in our yard is in rapid-growth mode. First, he backed my vehicle out of the way. Walking back in to get the mower, a scruffy old bird’s nest on the ground right in…
My sister-in-law Linda posted some beautiful flower photos this morning on Facebook. She and my brother Harry live in Maine and spend a lot of their time happily communing with nature. I, on the other hand, can recognize pansies and geraniums, but I fear that’s about it. Oh, and roses. Carnations and day lilies, too, But that’s it. So it’s a good thing Linda identified the flowers in her post as peonies. Now I may not recognize peonies, but at…