the beauty of an ordinary life
"This could be her last Christmas," my daughter said, speaking about the dog -- one of our dogs -- last Christmas, in 2020, the first pandemic Christmas. Another of our dogs had died earlier in the year, in mid-March before everything shut down. He, the one who died, and she, the one who remained behind, … Continue reading Thoughts go astray.
It was a cold and snowy day (yes, in Memphis)... ... and I found the green lentils. But first, a story: When my son was nine or ten he went deep into the Dragonology world of books, puzzles, and games. He and a friend started a Dragonology club (a detail he'll likely fuss at me … Continue reading Choose your own cooking adventure.
I have a friend who moved to back to Memphis a decade ago, after many years away. She rented a house instead of buying, unsure of how long she might stay. The neighborhood she choose was a “good” neighborhood by neighborhood standards, meaning it was relatively stable, a combination of starter homes and rentals that … Continue reading A story about parents.
This story will seem like a departure from the direction I said we'd take this week, but it isn't. And this first part is a repeat of something you've read before, if you've been here awhile. Also, there's a recipe link at the end as a reward for getting through this particular contemplation. Here goes: … Continue reading The ‘Working Parent’ conundrum.
What’s going to happen this week is this: I’m going to write about one central idea (and that idea, just so you’ll know what’s what up front, is parenting), and I’m going to end each post with some cooking notes that are not entirely unrelated to parenting. And I'm going to write some of these … Continue reading Two ideas.
Update at noon(ish) on Sunday: If you were here for the early, late night edition last night (even if you read it in the morning), and you came back to see if I added the promised update, then just scroll down to where you left off and you'll see it. See? I can make things … Continue reading A few things: September/October 2021
Sometimes, it's actually just about food. One of the things I realized on our wild mother-daughter trip was that I need to double down on getting my daughter to expand her food horizons. When she was little, I did a fairly good job of introducing new foods and tastes, and I always had the back-up … Continue reading Rigatoni with artichoke hearts and red onion.
Let’s keep this simple: Butternut squash is in season, as I’ve already mentioned. But perhaps you are not yet on team butternut squash and need another nudge. That hard-on-the-outside, uniquely shaped squash is one of my favorite things to cook. It strikes the perfect sweet-salty balance when prepared simply; it’s versatile; it’s good for you. … Continue reading Butternut.
jenny's lark 