My coping mechanism for the past year has been to read a lot of ancient history. It’s a great way to keep current events in context. It’s debatable whether Caligula actually nominated his horse, Incitatus, to the Roman Senate, but many crazier things certainly happened. In truth, I don’t read as much as I listen …
Home-made ricotta is a snap
T'WAS A DARK AND STORMY day, the kind that requires something to be in the oven to ward off the dampness and chill. After whipping up a few batches of granola bars and bread, I began to think about what to do to keep the oven going. “How about lasagna for dinner?” I inquired. I …
The art of giving
Photo by Alecia Paolini WHETHER IT’S FOR THE HOLIDAYS, a birthday, an anniversary or any other celebratory event, nothing beats receiving — and giving — a gift made by hand. Our featured artist today is Gene Paolini, who hails from Northern California. He has been a craftsman and woodworker all his life. He got introduced …
It never rains in California, but it pours
NEITHER SHERRY NOR I grew up in the desert, so we are acclimating to what constitutes inclement weather in these parts. Our back yard on a rainy night. Photo by Sherry-Lynn Lee. I grew up on the East Coast, where the heat of summer afternoons was punctuated by lightning, thunder, and a downpour. In winter, …
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O Christmas Tree, just what else can you be?
BOXING DAY IS OVER, New Years is just around the corner, and families around the world are all thinking the same thing: time to take down the ornaments and throw out that tree. Doing cursory research and a little back-of-the envelope calculation, I estimate as many as 100 million conifers out on the street, just …
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Cranberries, the all-American side dish
“YOU’VE NEVER HAD CRANBERRIES?” This is my incredulous response to my Better Half, who grew up on the tropical island of Mauritius, out in the middle of the Indian Ocean, a place described by Mark Twain as “Heaven on Earth.” The tiny nation is indeed beautiful, and bountiful: mangos, coconuts, bananas (the kind that actually …
My new favorite holiday dish is …
AS A CHILD, HOLIDAY dinners were quite special. Mom was an excellent cook and baker. We dined at many of the all-American meals: turkey, roast beef, ham, chicken (with dumplings!). But hands down, my favorite meal was her spaghetti and meatballs. Sherry’s briani, with side dishes of cucumber and tomato salads. But my favorite fare …
Hand-made gifts are the best
IT’S BECOME SOMETHING OF A FAMILY TRADITION to hand-craft our gifts. Since we have been in lockdown for the past umpteen months, there really was no excuse this year. Sister Francine and her husband, Mike, created this beautiful little rabbit out of redwood. They aren’t sure of the genesis of the wood stock, but I’ll …
There’s something fishy about these ornaments
SOMEHOW, AMIDST THE FLURRY of moving during a pandemic, settling in a new home, producing new music and a book, we forgot one little thing: decorations for our tree. We were happy enough to have an actual tree. Sherry procured a live specimen and even got it delivered. So that was an accomplishment. But, in …
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Sherry & George 