I have time to grow,to push past my fearlike a green stalk,slender and fresh,rising up and outof the soil,reaching straight towardthe Sun. And I have time to smile,and touch my hair,and dance down the stairslike a gypsy,wearing earrings anda red skirt. Down I goto findthe others waiting,with feet poisedfor joy.
The Girl on the South Porch Knew
You know how sometimes you read that if you go back to what you loved doing when you were a little kid—four, five, or six—then that will tell you what your ideal occupation should be? Well, in my case, this is exactly true, because when I was a little girl, my favorite thing in the…
Why Huck Finn Still Matters
Over the years of working with writing students, I have read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn several times. I did so because I was helping many AP high school students and a few college students write analytical essays on various aspects of the plot, characterization, controlling irony, theme, use of vernacular speech, and more. I…
Mayonnaise in the Cake? Trust Me.
The chocolate cake pictured contains a “secret ingredient” and is one I’ve returned to again and again, always producing a rich, moist cake. If you find yourself longing to bake but short on eggs and butter, here’s a surprisingly reliable alternative. That ingredient is 3/4 cup of mayonnaise, and its use in cake baking has…
A Celebration for Baby Milo
Today, we celebrated baby Milo’s impending birth with a baby shower planned and implemented by Andrew’s dad, Roger. This was an opportunity for us to get to know Roger better and to meet his brother, sister-in-law, their kids, grandkids, and other close family and friends. Roger hosted the party at the restaurant of one of…
From Personal Statement to White Coat: Hooray!
Today, I learned that my writing student, Nadia, whom I helped with her medical school personal statement and supplements, has been accepted into the University of Central Florida College of Medicine in Orlando. Congratulations, Nadia! You have worked hard to earn that hard-to-win spot, and I am fully confident that you will not only do…
My Dad: Frozen in My Mind at Sixty-Eight
Tomorrow is my dad’s birthday. He would be astonishingly old now—124—since he was born in 1903 and was fifty when I was born. It’s funny how time works. I have him frozen just as he was when he died in 1972, when I was nineteen years old. He was just a few weeks away from…
A Perfect Soup for Winter or for Lent, If You’re So Inclined
This lentil soup with spinach is a perfect soup for winter and, if you happen to observe Lent, also just perfect for a Lenten meal. This comes from The Foods of the Greek Islands: Cooking and Culture at the Crossroads of the Mediterranean by Aglaia Kremezi. This particular cookbook is ranked #2 in a list…
A Poem from My Friend, Sonny, on the Lasting Impact of War
My friend, Sonny, sent me this poem after visiting us in the orange grove last year. We had been talking about writing, and he said, “I have a poem I wrote a few years back that I’ll share with you.” This is that poem. Sonny lives in the Northeast Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts. He was…
Friends Who Feel Like Family
Our friends Sonny, Emily, and Sovahn Crawford visited us from Massachusetts this week. Sonny is an old friend we’ve known for over forty years, whom we met in Brimfield while buying antiques and collectibles for the Chili’s chain. Sonny’s older son, Tinian, and our daughter, Sarah, were four and three at the time, and we…
20 Minutes a Day 