adventures in life, food, and travel
I have been spending a lot of time with Ruth Reichl lately. Well, truth be told, a lot of time with her memoirs. I got my hands on Garlic and Sapphires, published in 2005, and that lead to her latest book, Save Me The Plums, 2019. I read Comfort Me With Apples, 2001, and Tender …
Continue reading Comfort me with dear friends and… chocolate cake
Downtown Durham April 10, 2019Photo by Jim Rogalski Just exactly what is courage and where does it come from? Are we trained to act courageously? Is it instinct? Are we taught courage? How do we know whether or not we are courageous? I have my own thoughts about it, but first I would like to …
First off, no, I am not dead. You probably think that, dear Blog, but I am alive and kicking. Yes, I still love you. Yes, I still love to write. What happened? You know, I am not sure. Mon dieu bon dieu, I had to log into the WordPress website and that meant I had …
Princess rotary dial phone: image courtesy of http://www.pinterest.com When I teach the French expressions for "I need" and "I want" (j'ai besoin et j'ai envie), to make it more concrete we make lists. As concrete as possible works best for 7th graders. I do indeed ask them if their parents have explained the difference between …
This time three months ago I was sitting around waiting for Hurricane Florence to pay me a visit. Yesterday I waited for Winter Storm Diego to quietly sweep in. I am a bit of a skeptic when it comes to snow predictions around here. Several friends call it Snowmaggedon. Sister-in-Law sent this photo via Facebook- …
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life." This popped up a minute ago on my phone. I have an app called Shine, recommended by the BFF, on my phone and every morning an inspirational quote is delivered to me. Do we over do the whole gratitude thing? Facebook will be full of Thanksgiving, Giving Thanks, Gratitude, …
(artwork: Madison, 8th grade girlie) My "real" job involves spending five days a week with middle schoolers. Trying to guide them. Giving them opportunities to help others. Helping them learn how to study. Setting goals and working towards achieving those goals. Showing them ways to be kind. General nagging. Showing them the beauty of speaking …
