OCTOBER 26, 2009 10:59AM

An Update on Me

 Since I left Michigan in April much has happened and I haven't really had time to post anything. And right now, I don't really have a computer or connections to do so.

 Suffice it to say . . . . since April I had been living with my sister and her… Read full post »

28 Comments
SEPTEMBER 30, 2009 12:51PM

Foodie Tuesday--Apple Crisp

 Red apple

 I probably make apple crisp more often than apple pie simple because it's easier. If you have my first book of essays, "Appreciating the Simple," I've written on the art of apple-pie making. If not, I'll summarize here: Please, use a variety of apples for the best taste, alwa… Read full post »

12 Comments
Editor’s Pick
SEPTEMBER 15, 2009 9:51AM

Michael Moore: Republicans Killed the Newspaper

25 Comments
SEPTEMBER 1, 2009 10:08AM

Coleslaw

green cabbage from our previous vegetable garden by Lulu & Philippe.

Coleslaw needn't be a boring affair. Often, it's too bland. Or sodden with vinegar. One wants to achieve that balance between sweet and tangy. If you like the coleslaw at KFC, you'll probably like this. It's a cinch to prepare and
… Read full post »
4 Comments
AUGUST 18, 2009 9:58AM

Rhuberry Pie

http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/IMAGES/North_Carolina/berries_red_blueUSDA.jpg
Who doesn't love pie? More importantly, who doesn't love pre-made pie crusts? Just roll 'em out, fill, cover and bake. What could be easier? I know there are "purists" who insist on lard in their crusts (and I agree). But, guess what? (Am I using too many questions for this… Read full post »
7 Comments
Editor’s Pick
AUGUST 4, 2009 11:43AM

Come to the Table

http://static.squidoo.com/resize/squidoo_images/-1/draft_lens2085767module12680585photo_1227141446Norman_Rockwell_Freedom_from_Want.jpg

When all else fails, there's family. And food.

Like many people and for economic reasons, I, the already-starving artist, had to close my 13-year-old studio, give up my apartment and my beloved state of Michigan and move in with my sister and her family in their large North Carolinian home… Read full post »

29 Comments
JULY 26, 2009 9:02AM

Fields of Dreams

                  I grew up in the Midwest. And so I grew up with the corn.

                Not just acres. But entire verdant vistas that/… Read full post »

34 Comments
JULY 21, 2009 10:31AM

Strawberry-Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Every great once-in-a-while you try a recipe that is amazing. You savor every bite. Guests and family get "that look" and "mmm's" and "ahhh's" escape between chews. This is such a recipe--in my humble opinion.

The filling is a perfect, fresh blend of sweet and tart. The cake itself rises high… Read full post »

18 Comments
JUNE 9, 2009 10:11AM

Fajitas--Foodie Tuesday

Santa Fe Fajita Company

I love home-made marinades, especially if they require refrigeration overnight, since the messy part is already done when it comes time to cook or grill. This is such a recipe. Go ahead and slice the onions and peppers the night before, too. This is for 2-3 pounds… Read full post »
12 Comments
JUNE 2, 2009 10:23AM

Chinese Salad--Foodie Tuesday

 

 When my grandfather died many years ago,  a neighbor brought over this salad. It wasn't until recently that I had it again at my sister's home and she reminded me of the origin.We served it in a large bowl that made for easy mixing.

 

10 Comments
JUNE 1, 2009 5:58PM

Trees--Part II

http://sitemaker.umich.edu/jparsons3/public_guide/da.data/936683/FullViewPicture/maple-tree.jpg

 

Tree are among our first friends.

After outgrowing the laps of parents and adults, we climb into the laps of trees. Grab onto limbs and peer into a forbidden, grown-up world of height. It is our first attempt to fly, really. Our feet scrape free from the… Read full post »

25 Comments
MAY 26, 2009 8:54AM

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

 
This simple marinade isn't overpowering and complements the  delicate pork taste. Look for tenderloins on sale. Usually, there are two per pack. And don't confuse pork tenderloin with pork loin--they are two different cuts of meat, the tenderloin living up to its name--more tender./… Read full post »
9 Comments
MAY 25, 2009 10:49AM

Another side to Memorial Day

I always get a bit uneasy around holidays such as Memorial Day. It's not meant as disrespect to anyone who has joined the ranks of the US Army, Navy or Air Force. And certainly no disrespect for those who died.

But in my life, I've been through one "undeclared" war, Vietnam,… Read full post »

12 Comments
MAY 22, 2009 10:36AM

Trees, Part I. A "Green Morning"

http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumb_293/121694159358R2FA.jpg

Benjamin Driscoll was one of the lucky ones.

He escaped the political and nuclear upheaval back on planet Earth to begin a new life on planet Mars. He is character in Ray Bradbury's novel, The Martian Chronicles, the first book I ever taught more years ago than I/… Read full post »

25 Comments
MAY 12, 2009 8:49AM

Foodie Tuesday--Mushrooms and Green Onions

http://www.00ff00.com/wp-content/photos/scallions.jpg

 I always associate green onions with my grandparents. My grandfather picked them fresh from his garden. My grandmother sliced them and poured hot sizzling butter over them. I love them sauteed with button mushrooms. The earthy, complex flavors in this simple recipe go great with plain w… Read full post »

8 Comments
MAY 7, 2009 10:38AM

Advice to Graduates

Receiving graduation invitations was part of having taught school for twenty years. To bring something unique, I began devising “Advice to Graduates” that I slipped into cards. I’ve added to it year after year. And I probably will continue to do so. Such is life and its lessons.

We/… Read full post »
20 Comments
Editor’s Pick
MAY 4, 2009 9:54AM

I Lost the Only Job I Had Left--My Newspaper Column

Gary,

It is with sincere regret that I need to inform you that we will no longer be running your column in The Observer newspapers effective immediately. The reason has nothing to do with your great work, it's simply because of the tightened economy; a new price increase by… Read full post »
43 Comments
APRIL 28, 2009 9:26AM

Foodie Tuesday--Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

 
Strawberries and rhubarb are coming into their own right now. If you've never had them combined, you are in for a real treat. Just ask "Mamoore" who recently made this recipe. You are welcome to make your own pie dough, but Pillsbury rolled dough is just fine with me and… Read full post »
20 Comments
APRIL 27, 2009 8:35PM

Chalk the Wonder Cat--Part I

When he showed up as a stray several years ago, all wild and feral and mean as spit, little did he realize that someday he would take a voyage of one-thousand miles. In a car.

But that’s exactly what my tuxedo cat, Chalk, ended up doing as I pulled/… Read full post »
13 Comments
APRIL 23, 2009 2:32PM

Foodie Tuesday--Marinated Whole Tomatoes

 

209 Tomatoes Photograph - 209 Tomatoes Fine Art Print
In some parts of the country, decent tomatoes are already appearing at markets. This recipe works wonderfully with medium-sized tomatoes. In the dead of winter when delicious tomatoes are a rarity, seek the ones still attached to a stem or use plum tomatoes. I place one… Read full post »
11 Comments
APRIL 22, 2009 4:53PM

Relocating

Observations after leaving my home of Michigan for North Carolina (I should have done it a long time ago).

 1. As a nation, we have become so homogenized that I don't even feel as though I left the North for the South. Malls, strip malls, stores, restaurants--all the same. Target, KOHL'S,… Read full post »

33 Comments
Editor’s Pick
APRIL 17, 2009 11:34AM

Planting Anne Frank' s Hope--One Tree at a Time

 

Photograph:Anne Frank at her school desk in The Netherlands, 1940; taken from her photo album.

 

Anne Frank's beloved chestnut tree in the Amsterdam courtyard behind the "secret annex" where she and her family hid from the Nazi Gestapo during the last years of WWII is coming to America.

Sceduled to be chopped down due to disease and age, it was saved by an… Read full post »

15 Comments
APRIL 15, 2009 10:50AM

"13" Is Good Luck! Or my trip to NC, Part I

On the 13th day of April, 13 years after I had left education to open a studio in Michigan, I left for a state with 13 letters: North Carolina.

All my life, the number 13 has followed me. Don't ask me why. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't symbolize bad luck… Read full post »

24 Comments
APRIL 12, 2009 8:04PM

S.O.S. to OS. Now I Know You're Family. Damn!!!!

If you don't know me or haven't read my posts, it's okay to move on.

Tomorrow I leave for my much-anticipated exodus from jobless Michigan to my sister's home in North Carolina. My old Toyota has gotten a great tune-up. The tires are correctly inflated. Even put on new windshield-wiper… Read full post »

44 Comments
APRIL 11, 2009 3:41PM

Four Pictures, Five Haiku for Easter and Spring!

I took these pictures around the house I'm currently staying at. Haiku seemed the best captions.

(Persephone, [per-seph-uh-knee]  is the Greek goddess or daughter of Zeus and Demeter, the goddess of the harvest. But she is kidnapped by Hades, the god of the underworld and kept prisoner. Demeter… Read full post »

17 Comments
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