Mothers and gardeners have something in common—their work is never done. Still, as the old year passes away and the New Year waits in the wings, it is a good time to look back at the growing season. Since I am an optimist—as all gardeners should be—I count the successes and not the failures. Failures … Read more
My great-Aunt Adeline, known as “Queenie” to the family, was a small woman who carried a big broom. She swept the front sidewalk every morning, even if there was not a single ant, grass blade or maple samara to be seen. When she and my grandmother “turned out the corners” of the house for seasonal … Read more
There are some tunes that stick in your head, sometimes for weeks. That happened to me recently with the old sea chantey, “What do we do with a drunken sailor?” The song isn’t as common as it was a generation or two ago, possibly owing to its bawdy lyrics, but is still widely known. The … Read more
Novelist Henry James thought the words “summer afternoon” were the most beautiful in the English language. I love that phrase, especially in July when I am sitting in a shaded spot with a glass of iced tea and a good book. Still, in my mind, “summer afternoon” comes in second to the phrase “sunny Saturday … Read more
There are two kinds of guilt—guilt for things done and guilt for things left undone. Most people suffer from one or the other, or both, from time to time. Some of us, especially those who have either had mothers and/or been mothers, are masters at the art of guilt, whether we lay it on … Read more
