Early this morning we said farewell to a member of the family fleet. We bought this used Audi A6 when Claire was in high school. She wanted something cooler to drive than the family mini-van or M.J.’s dented Camry. But fourteen years later (and probably close to 150,000 miles–the odometer broke some time ago) the [...]
Category Archives: Spirit
Friday Things: Saying Goodbye to Old Cars
Also posted in Shelter, Style
Tagged Audi A6, automobiles, Chabot College, Charlie Hebdo, cooking, design, fireplaces, firewood, Golden Globes, Ryan Hamilton, Tom Hanks, Vienna
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Friday Things: Wordplay
Like many this time of year, I’ve been indulging in some personal wordplay. I’ve forgone New Year’s resolutions and instead chosen a single word to focus my intentions for the year. Last year, knowing that a move was in store, I chose Brave as my guiding word. Finding, buying and remodeling a new house [...]
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My Favorite Things in 2014
This was a busier than usual holiday season with all the kids and spouses (and a new fiance!) home. So I’m just now taking a few moments to ponder some favorite things from 2014. Perhaps you too are finding this Friday more about retrospection than resolutions. If so, you might also be thinking about some [...]
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Tagged 2014, books, cookbooks, design, movies, museums, music, television, theater, travel, year end review
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So Long 2014!
It’s a cold, blustery New Year’s Eve here in the San Francisco Bay Area. The forecast says we’ll hover around freezing, but I suspect it’s a little colder than that up here in the Oakland Hills. When M.J. was washing the car this morning for our big kids to take to Palm Desert a thin [...]
Travel Gift Ideas
Every year for Christmas my eight siblings and their spouses draw names for gift giving around a particular theme. Some years the themes have been practical – “emergency supplies” or “favorite cooking tools,” for example. Other years we’ve shopped for entertainment items like an Oscar-winning movie from the year the recipient graduated from high school–which [...]
Friday Things: The Early December Edition
I love the early days of December when everything seems possible, don’t you? The Christmas carols that irritated me in stores two weeks ago seem festive now. Spending time in the kitchen making artful cookies is creative fun. Dressing up to go out with friends feels like a treat. And I’m confidant that somehow [...]
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Tagged books, Christmas, December, Frozen, recipes
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Thanksgiving Things
Happy Thanksgiving Eve, everyone! I hope you’re happily prepping for the holiday whether that means confirming your reservations at a favorite restaurant or harvesting persimmons to make Aunt Nell’s favorite pudding. Around here we’re baking pies. Well, truthfully, we’re watching my mom bake pies. Because that’s the kind of helpful children and grandchildren we are. [...]
Friday Things: The Thank You Edition
On this first Friday in November I’m thinking about gratitude. Throughout the year I try to count my blessings—sometimes in a daily “gratitude journal” but more often than not by documenting the (mostly) good and interesting things in my life on Instagram. (Thank you, Insta!) In case you haven’t tracked this yet, Thanksgiving comes late [...]
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Tagged daylight savings time, gratitude, interior design, music, recipes, Thanksgiving
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Friday Things: The Halloween Edition
In our new modernist home, a few splashes of orange around the house and a skeleton on the front bench suffice for demonic decor. I’ve been experimenting with deer-resistant plants in the front pots and though several perennials have given up the ghost already the nasturtiums are thriving. Right now a strand is crawling into [...]
Also posted in Shelter, Style, Sustenance
Tagged Halloween, humor, IKEA, interior design, recipes
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