Suprise Me

How did our prescient moderators know that the title of this week’s Book Review section of the New York Times would be “Beach Reads”? Read More

Be here now, baby. Read More

    .    When anyone asked about my bowed legs, I told them that I grew up on the back of a horse and had done some bronc riding on the fair circuit in California.  When they asked about going into the pros I told them I wasn’t good enough. Those questions were asked often… Read More

But little hands lifted the top of the garbage pail, and discovered the resting place of the gumdrop tree. Read More

Meals were a challenge when I was a resident on hospital rotations.  There were no official breaks, no lunch, dinner, or breakfast hours, just work that had to be done and rounds to attend.  Sure, there were cafeterias with overcooked steam trays of food, but they weren’t open 24/7, and weren’t free.  Finding a moment… Read More

By Walter Nicklin I had worked most of the summer on the horse farms that defined that part of rural Virginia where I grew up — making hay in June and painting fences in July.  Finally, in August, I had saved enough to buy the sportscar of my dreams, a used MGA.  The year was… Read More

We enjoyed watching gameshows in our household: “What’s My Line?”, “Truth or Consequences”, “Password”, and a few others, but none captured my heart like “Jeopardy”, the original one with Art Fleming as the host. I’d watch when I was home sick, which wasn’t too often. Still, I really enjoyed that show. My senior year at… Read More

The lies we told each other—and ourselves. Read More

  In 1946 George Orwell wrote, “Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” He went on to complain of the ways political speech had largely become “the defense of the indefensible”. After 75 years his words seem more appropriate than… Read More

The Smell of the Greasepaint As a girl coming of age in the early 60’s I was enamored of the theater and dreamt of a life on the stage.   I’ve written about my glamorous and talented great aunt Miriam who performed in grand theaters and music halls in Europe and America,  and inspired me.… Read More