Month: May 2020

  • The hard part of mental illness

    My cousin’s first hint of something amiss began with daily long distant phone calls filled with angry rants. The parents on one side of the country looked at each other with astonishment and concern as their son once again dumped his rage on them from his side of the country. They carefully asked, “have you…

  • The no sleep night

    During quarantine, Mother’s Day looked rather glum until I read my daughter’s Facebook posting. I well remember this test of motherhood on a sleepless night with my youngest child. Happy Mother’s Day to my mom. Probably the most accurate depiction of the type of mother she is happened when I was a Freshman in college.…

  • Carrot cake

    Carrot Cake recipe from Cook’s Illustrated magazine Jan-Feb. 1998 edition 2 pounds of carrots grated fine (makes about 7 coups … a food processor saves a LOT of time grating and scraping knuckles.) 1 cup plus 2/3 cup granulated sugar ½ cup unsalted butter 1 cup light brown sugar 5 eggs 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla…

  • More face masks

    Prompted by the COVID-19 threat, my sister sent a face mask pattern. She said that face masks reduced the spread of a virus outbreak in Asia. She stitched a few masks for herself and friends. I looked at the email. I printed out the pattern. I left it on the sewing table. My son asked…