Happy New Year! I launched into 2019 with a bad cold which had me couch-bound in a sea of crumpled tissues. Too bleary to act on ambitious resolutions, I watched other people achieve theirs by way of the popular Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. Kondo is the spritely Japanese organization guru who encourages [...]
The sun is hiding today. Taking a rest from all those brilliant days and exquisite sunsets we had through the holidays. I peeked outside at the mauve hellebores barely visible in the fog before scurrying back inside to pick up a new book someone thought I’d like for Christmas or an old favorite that nobody [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Reading this essay about a woman asking for a better table when given a crummy one made me think about a recent failed attempt at being more forceful. Claire was in town from the frigid East and wanted to spend every minute of the weekend out in the sun. So we drove over to Point [...]
All right. Time to stop getting distracted by stocking stuffers and get down to serious gift-buying. If you’re giving to someone who leans towards contemporary design on a less than stratospheric budget, consider the collection of well-edited designs presented in Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home (Artisan). The book culls ideas from the popular [...]
I don’t know about you, but I’m finally tuning in to the holiday calendar and starting to think about gifts for friends and family. Right now I’m considering several recently released design books as possible gifts. Over the next few weeks I’ll share some favorites in hopes of helping you whittle down your own gift [...]
Forget the flowers in your hair, if you’re coming to San Francisco be sure to bring a sweater. Especially in the summer. Because of the summer fog it’s more than coolish here, it’s downright cold. Which makes this fair-skinned Idaho transplant very happy. I love a rainy winter day the best, but a foggy summer [...]
Will tomorrow find you lighting sparklers in your childhood backyard or someplace entirely new? Maybe you’re staying put for the 4th but packing your bags for later in the summer. Lucky you! Despite the hassles of modern travel, there’s still nothing like Getting Away From It All to shake things up for the better. Here [...]
Flipping through the June issue of Vanity Fair on my way out to D.C. last week I noted that when actress Christine Baranski was asked what she considered the lowest depth of misery she said “Being stuck indefinitely in an airport when I’m desperate to get home.” Amen, sista! Take yesterday. After an action-packed few [...]
