Thanksgiving
A horn of plenty, if you just look for it
Thanksgiving is a good and necessary holiday but perhaps more so in times of want than of plenty. What is wanting this Thanksgiving 2020? We want to be together. We want our families, our friends. Most Thanksgiving celebrations are pared down this year with families separated by virus or politics, some permanently so, thanks to […]
MoreTake two curses and thank me in the morning
No sensible person is ever going to clamor to be cursed, but curses aren’t always to be avoided. For one thing, when done well, they’re fun. Like their snarling cousin the insult, curses are great vehicles for verbal gymnastics and flights of fancy. I could even make a case for curses to be a great. […]
MoreMore sweet potatoes, less election hash
This past week I’ve heard stories of people not going home for Thanksgiving because they’re upset their relatives voted differently than they did. Add one more to the list of disheartening effects the 2016 election has had on our country. Thanksgiving is the holiday that’s supposed to bring us together. Thanksgiving is a holiday […]
MoreThanksgiving break
If I had any sense I’d be in the kitchen right now, chopping and endlessly washing mixing bowls and spatulas. Instead I’m sitting at the computer. I’ll pay for it tomorrow with panic and exhaustion, but meantime, here’s a few poems for Thanksgiving. At the grocery store I left Czeslaw Milosz’s”Encounter” in an empty […]
MoreBut you can’t delegate gratitude
Thanksgiving, the kids come home and I rejoice because at last I can delegate again. Delegation, one of the perks of parenthood. Delegation, how the napkins get ironed, wood hauled, dishwasher emptied, onions sliced, chairs moved, table set, chaos ordered. Delegation, essential to any host whose hands are covered in butter and turkey bacteria. And a […]
MoreStuff before stuffing
A short break from the cooking frenzy in my kitchen to complain and give thanks. My complaint is with food manufacturers. Every year more food items seem to be downsized. What was 16 oz. is now 14 oz. Besides feeling irritated at having to pay more for less, I’m wondering what’s going to happen […]
MoreMrs. Woodger serves sausages
A few weeks ago in a post on Parrot and Olivier in America, I mentioned my childhood friend Pippi from Australia. Calling her up from memory prompted me to track her down on Facebook. Say what you will about the time-wasting, social-chastening, death-hastening, life-sucking, mind-flucking (not a much of a cusser here) nature of Facebook, […]
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