Quilts from the attic

Sparks and I have been making the rounds to visit relatives, including all of my grandparents. At my fathers’ mother’s house, I asked to see again two antique quilts that she inherited from her mother and aunt, who made them together in the early part of the 20th century.
Grandma’s aunt, Madge, who I knew also, [...]

Read Full Post »

Sparks’ socks

I had been under heavy pressure to knit a pair of socks for Sparks for quite some time. I had delayed the inevitable for a while by knitting him the green hat, but the time came and I had to do what I had to do. Fortunately, Shelridge Farms Soft Touch Ultra knits up at [...]

Read Full Post »

Pioneer food

This winter, after a lapse of several years, I rejoined with my habit of re-reading the Little House books once a year. It is so interesting how my perception of them has changed over time. When I first read them in 1988, they were the first long chapter books that I puzzled my way through, [...]

Read Full Post »

Mezze II

I tried the Turkish mezze party again, recently. If you remember, I had one last Spring in which I far overestimated my own capabilities (or at least, my capabilities within time limits), and ended up madly cooking through the whole party and forgetting the feta pastries in the oven. Phew. You have heard Ina Garten’s [...]

Read Full Post »

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

S’io credesse che mia risposta fosse
A persona che mai tornasse al mondo,
Questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.
Ma perciocche giammai di questo fondo
Non torno vivo alcun, s’i’odo il vero,
Senza tema d’infamia ti rispondo.
Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out [...]

Read Full Post »

Winter colors

Every season, I end up dressing in a very unified and consistent set of colors. Last winter it was black and gray with touches of white. Last summer it was red, white, and blue. This winter, it seems to be shades of brown and cream, with corally-pink and icy aqua.

Here are the pashmina shawls that [...]

Read Full Post »