Imagine a morning in late November. A coming of winter morning more than twenty years ago. Consider the kitchen of a spreading old house in a country town. A great black stove is its main feature; but there is also a big round table and a fireplace with two rocking chairs placed in front of [...]
Archive for November, 2011
Truman Capote; A Christmas Memory
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged A Christmas Memory, fruitcake, Mademoiselle Magazine 1956, Truman Capote on Wednesday, November 30, 2011 | 24 Comments »
Harbinger
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Advent, Arietta, harbinger of Autumn, red berries, winds on Lake Michigan, winter berries on Tuesday, November 29, 2011 | 26 Comments »
This took me by surprise as I rounded a bend on our woodland walk. Bright red berries performing an arietta to Autumn; such a brilliant contrast to the russets and browns hanging onto the otherwise bare branches. Isn’t it delightful the way seasons hang on to each other, leaving berries for birds to carry the last [...]
Maggie
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Chicago Cultural Center, Maggie, Maggie Daley, Maura O'Connell, Mayor Richard Daley, Old St. Pat's Church in Chicago, The Shannon Rovers on Monday, November 28, 2011 | 18 Comments »
Chicagoans lost a friend this Thanksgiving. She was buried on Monday, and left a legacy of goodwill, courage and grace in a city filled with plantings where cement once grew, with a renewed center for culture inside the forgotten walls of a magnificent library that will likely soon carry her name. There are the programs [...]
After the turkey
Posted in Uncategorized on Sunday, November 27, 2011 | 16 Comments »
What does a young gal do after a day of turkey and stuffing, sweet potatoes and cranberry relish, mashed potatoes and her very first taste of pumpkin pie? She goes for a walk in the sunshine, of course.
Chestnut roasting
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged chestnuts, Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire, Greek chestnut dressing/stuffing, Johnny Mathis, The Christmas Song on Saturday, November 26, 2011 | 26 Comments »
My thumbs hurt. Both of them. Underneath the fingernails. The kind of hurt one gets when a sliver slides in – or a chestnut shell. See that chipped nail polish on my thumb? It took me days to find the courage to remove it with nail polish remover. When you hear Johnny Mathis crooning “chestnuts [...]
. . . ’tis the gift to be free
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged 'tis the gift to be simple, Alison Krauss, Shaker hymn, Simple Gifts, Yo Yo Ma on Thursday, November 24, 2011 | 18 Comments »
‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free’ Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be, And when we find ourselves in the place just right’ Twill be in the valley of love and delight. When true simplicity is gain’d, To bow and to bend we shan’t be [...]
Thoughts from Piglet . . .
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged doing nothing, Piglet, resting, Winnie-the-Pooh on Monday, November 21, 2011 | 25 Comments »
“Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”
Henny Penny and Turkey Lurkey
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged 1972 Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, 1972 Ford Pinto, frozen turkeys, hatchback, Henny Penny, Jewel Grand Bazaar, Thanksgiving, Turkey Lurkey on Saturday, November 19, 2011 | 26 Comments »
I have a fear of turkeys. Frozen turkeys. It started when I was 26 years old. It was my maiden voyage in the fine American culinary tradition of roasting the Thanksgiving turkey. I come from a long line of extraordinary cooks and married into a family of equal expertise. Big shoes to fill – and [...]
Preparing . . .
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged crabapple, Cranberry relish, frost, grasses, Jerusalem Cherry, Oak Leaf Hydrangea, Oak Park Farmers Market, Thanksgiving on Friday, November 18, 2011 | 22 Comments »
We have finally experienced our first hard frost here on the Cutoff. While I won’t say I welcomed it, I know its time has come. We been fortunate with warmer weather this fall. I don’t really mind the change in the air, but, a steady and sturdy wind has been blowing these past few days, [...]
Engaging reads
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Reading Woman engagement calendar by Pomegrante, Sogni, Vittorio Matteo Corcos on Thursday, November 17, 2011 | 27 Comments »
I picked up my 2012/13 engagement calendar a few weeks ago. I’ve already had to plan meetings and events for 2012. When I saw this one, I knew it was meant for me this year. It is so elegantly appointed with art of women reading and has lovely literary quotes as well. This is the [...]
