The Bookless Club

So, who’s your hall pass? Come on; you know what a hall pass is. If a chiffon-clad, champagne-bearing, Claudia Shiffer were to descend from the heavens and crook a finger … well? This is what… Read More »CELEBRITY CRUSH

 A new year is always freighted with reproach as well as aspiration. It appears that this may have been intentional.  January takes its name from the two faced Roman god, Janus, who was able to… Read More »DRY JANUARY

Ahhhh … luxury! Does your pulse quicken in the presence of a fine automobile? Perhaps your heart desires a purse so celebrated that it has its own name? Maybe you crave something that floats? First… Read More »OBJECTS OF DESIRE

No one has to tell you. You just know it. You hear it before you see it. Even before you open your eyes, you can sense the swaddled landscape. Brightness seeps in through the drapery.… Read More »SNOW!

Hand sanitizer and masks with a string of Christmas lights make for great wreath decorations. This was my ‘just for a laugh’ Covid wreath from Christmas 2020. Turns out, I shoulda kept it for Round… Read More »SIXES AND SEVENS ON THE 25TH

You weren’t my first choice. The other guy didn’t show up.  Three times.   Can’t say I blame him: removing a stand of bamboo is a miserable job. Well, I do blame him.  What a jerk.… Read More »EVERYDAY HEROES

“Back when I was a kid …” “When I was your age …” “There used to be a …” Do you do this?  Of course you do!  We all do. You only have to achieve… Read More »CHILDHOOD, THEN AND NOW

My Connecticut neighbour, Diane Keleher, gave me this recipe. It’s one of those ‘wife saver’ recipes that allow everyone to enjoy the morning. My Connecticut neighbour, Diane Keleher, gave me this recipe. It’s one of… Read More »CONNECTICUT CHRISTMAS CASSEROLE

If the warnings were to be believed, there was a confluence of atmospheric events enroute that would have us cowering in the basement … if the basement didn’t flood. To say we were ill-prepared was… Read More »DISASTER RELIEF

So … I usually make a double batch version of this cake. When I do the double batch – which is pretty much always – I use a commercial-size loaf pan. For a single batch,… Read More »RUM CAKE RECIPE(S)