Suprise Me

I started cooking because I was hungry. In fact, I'm still hungry—all the time. Read More

For as long as I remember, I have always been blasé about fame. Or other people’s fame. Not possessing it myself, who knows how I’d feel, although we read often enough that the truly famous pay grievously for their fame in the loss of privacy. Others, I know, can think of nothing more exhilarating than… Read More

I’ve never considered myself much of a binger. Unless, of course, you’re referring to my addiction to very dark, bittersweet chocolate. Or to Hagan Daz Belgian chocolate or coffee ice cream. I guess you could call me a binger if you put a quart of that in front of me with a spoon. My ice… Read More

Belle Potocsky Beckenstein was married in Bialystock, Lithuania (part of Imperial Russia) in 1902. She was quite lovely, though I have no photos of her from that exact date. I do have the fan she carried at her wedding. She brought it with her when she, my grandfather Samuel and their two small children fled… Read More

Tapestry A few years ago my husband’s college roommate Ken invited us to join him on a trip to Normandy.   I had a bit of a hassle replacing my missing travel documents,  but eventually all was resolved.  (See The Purloined Passport) We flew first to Paris where we visited with family and friends, then rented… Read More

I am not organized, and I have no particular desire to be. You can figure this out as soon as you walk into my house. Well, sometimes the downstairs looks organized, because we scoop everything up and take it upstairs if we know we are having company. This leads to some chaos in the upstairs… Read More

It's lonely out here. I look up and down the sidewalks, both sides of the street, and I'm the only newspaper there. Read More

Michigan seems like a dream to me now. —Simon & Garfunkel, "America" Read More

She stared at me, burst into tears and ran across the street and into her house. I was surprised at how powerfully she reacted. Read More

We spotted three girls across the street. When they saw us they giggled, whispered among themselves, and waved shyly. Read More