“I find it harder and harder to live up to my blue china.”—Oscar Wilde I was reminded of Wilde’s blue china quote last week when we took in Cal Shakes production of “Lady Windermere’s Fan“ (through Sept.8.) The play is charming, acted with great aplomb. And the sumptuous period sets by Annie Smart were glorious out in [...]
You may recall from my last post that I was intrigued by chef David Lebovitz’s extensive packing list. A few days later I volunteered to help my sister-in-law Connie, also a top-notch baker, create some desserts for my niece’s wedding in Idaho. Her packing list was equally impressive. Connie’s mini-van was filled with kitchen implements [...]
I’m packing for my niece’s wedding back in Idaho and making a list of all the things besides clothes that I need to bring along – the wedding gift, cords for my kindle/iphone/camera, the book I borrowed from my sister-in-law and maybe a jar of the August Bright nectarine jam I made a few weeks [...]
Some days you wake up with plans to meet a few work deadlines, maybe figure out a new recipe for the rapidly ripening tomatoes on the counter and then somehow, by the time you’ve fallen into bed that night, you’ve bought plane tickets to Peru. Yesterday was one of those days. I’ve never been to [...]
I hear that kids are heading back to school this week. Which means, I suppose, that summer is over. Did it ever really begin? Work proceeds apace and my time away has been dictated by family obligations. Thinking about gearing up for full bore fall productivity makes me long for a stretch of emptied out [...]
What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness. ~John Steinbeck
I feel bad about the bees. You’ve probably heard that they’re dying inexplicably (no? then read this story.) The bee-pocalypse means not only less honey but also diminished pollination which effects many crops including almonds, avocados, blueberries, cherries, grapes, peanuts, onions and even cotton. How can this beeeeeee? And even more importantly, what can we [...]
Judging by the size of this year’s September Issue, it looks like the recovery is well underway.
I’m a magazine junkie. Ever since I was a kid growing up on the farm I’ve loved opening my mailbox and finding news from the outside world. Then it was Jack & Jill, now it’s World of Interiors, House Beautiful, Elle Decor and the New Yorker. Well, and Bon Appetit and People and EW and Vogue [...]
Just as I was about to drive off from the Googleplex, I noticed this unusual cloud formation where the sky seemed to be cut in half. One side was a nearly cloudless blue, the other a gauzy panel that reached almost to the ground like a cloud curtain half-drawn over the summer sky. Seemed like [...]
