What’s New
Camp Dorothy Delayed: Way to Go, Draco!
Well, well, well, Winter Storm Draco is certainly living up to his enemy-of-Harry-Potter namesake. With a second day of school closings, Draco's evil, icy tentacles have stilled any remaining visions of sugar plums dancing in the heads of central Iowa elementary...
Wild Plum Pudding
Oh my, it's good to be home after a long weekend out of town. Hiram and I came back a day early because nasty weather's on it's way. The good news is that we're already unpacked, the laundry and grocery shopping are done, and our wonderful cleaning lady made the house...
Color Me Stymied
For the past week or so, something's been puzzling me. Disturbing me, really. It's the kind of thing I would have asked Mom about when I was a kid. So on Tuesday, during our weekly visit, I did just that. "Mom," I said, "have you ever wondered about why some colors...
Baked Butternut Squash
How can it be Wednesday and time for another recipe already? We were given several acorn and butternut squashes, which Hiram loves. Me, not so much. But, I do hate to see food go to waste. So the hunt is on for new squash recipes so Hiram doesn't get tired of all this...
Top Ten Reasons to Read “Abide With Me” by Elizabeth Strout
Elizabeth Strout's second novel, Abide with Me, was released in 2007. I recently finished listening to the audio version of this gem. It's often eclipsed by the author's third book, Olive Kitteridge, for which she received a Pulitzer. Here are my top ten reasons to...
Our Memory Tree
Hiram and I had a hard time getting excited about decorating the Christmas tree. Maybe it's because we don't have kids at home to turn the chore into a magical event. But this year, if we hadn't been hosting our extended family's holiday gathering, we might not have...