My oh my, it’s June already. As Chaucer would say, Summer is A-Comin In! This is one of my favorite times to entertain since the weather is good and the longer days make for a more relaxed gathering. Plus the produce this time of year is excellent so food prep can be fairly simple. This [...]
Long before I started writing for shelter magazines I read them. And the one I read the most was Metropolitan Home. When it folded in 2009 it really left a void in my design inspiration library. Though I loved Dominique Browning’s editor’s note in House & Garden (another print publication casualty of the time), the [...]
True confession? I didn’t know the Super Bowl was happening here in the Bay Area until last Saturday when my gay Mormon activist friend Mitch mentioned how early festivities had impacted the traffic coming from the city to a conference in Berkeley that we were both attending. Now how in the world did I miss [...]
Last week I noticed a sign in the nursery near a market I frequent advertising bulbs half off. I intended to pick up a few to force in the house and ended up with dozens of daffodils and a few tulips to plant around the garden. During a pause between rainstorms I tucked the [...]
Are you enjoying this first week of the year as much as I am? It’s cold and rainy here in the Bay Area. Perfect weather for packing up the holidays and unpacking plans for the year to come. I’ve spent the last few days moving things from one floor to another trying to restore order [...]
More garden descriptions and photos soon but in the meantime, as promised, here are recipes and links to my Autumn Dinner Party. It relies heavily on Ina Garten recipes because they’re reliable, easy to execute and crowdpleasers. In fact, I received several requests for recipes after the party and one of our guests deemed the [...]
Tonight we’re having friends over for a (somewhat) formal dinner party. Something I’d like to do more often but after a week of planning, shopping, prepping and cooking I remember why this is a rare occasion. It’s a whole lot of work! I know, I know. It doesn’t need to be this way. I could [...]
I’ve always been a breakfast person, but as I grow older I tend to like lighter fare first thing in the day. Maybe some homemade muesli (see below) or wheat toast with nut butter and fruit on the side. Egg dishes make an appearance on the weekends or when guests are around. (I know, I [...]
More bad news on the deer front this week. Last night’s conquest—an until now untouched shrub—was so violently ravaged that out of respect I feel like I should cover its snapped branches with more than deer netting. I spotted the prong-horned culprit and his gang of thieves as I pulled into the driveway at the [...]
Today the air smells like smoke and the sky is buzzing with helicopters. I suspect they’re monitoring the fires north of us that are burning out of control. I am watching them circle the Bay and thinking about the Oakland Hills Firestorm in 1991. We didn’t lose our home but close friends did and I [...]
