The other day, a glossy yellow leaf swirled to the ground as I trudged through my neighborhood in hot, steaming north Florida. I sighed as I stepped over hard magnolia seed pods littering the road. And, for a split second, I thought of the change of seasons, of how they used to mark my years, … More Changing Seasons in the Kitchen: Dealing with Summer Heat
I’ve been cooking for a long time. And it’s just not fun any more. I used to spend hours cooking, trying new recipes, thrilled to see the joy on people’s faces as they dug into one of my lemon meringue pies or my spin on curried chicken. And I remember when it all started. … More When Cooking is No Longer Fun: The Mental Load of Daily Cooking
Unofficially, it’s Day 44 for me. I wish it weren’t. I wish I could frolic on the beach, fly away in an airplane, eat at the Inn at Little Washington, walk the streets of Paris and Oslo and London. But I can’t. And I wouldn’t, even I could. It’s still early days in this pandemic. … More Yes, I’m Still Here: Hanging on, Day 44 of COVID-19 Isolation
Day 33, and I’m sitting here, listening to pounding and scraping on the roof above my office. Why? Torrential rains the other day revealed a large, most unwelcome hole, likely the route of the water I discovered on the floor a few days ago. A long period without rain meant that such a hole went … More Anywhere But Here: Flying Away, In a State of Siege: Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Day 33
I’ve heard the saying “That sucks” for years without really being sure of what it meant. Now I think I know. — STEPHEN KING, “THE STAND” It’s Day 30, and I am not writing about Day 29, because the days are running together, like “Groundhog Day”, and I feel like Bill Murray. Every day the … More Dreaming and Wishing, Being In a State of Siege: Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Day 30
Some days felt longer than other days. Some days felt like two whole days. — JOSHUA FERRIS, “THEN WE CAME TO THE END” Days merging, time sluggish yet fleeting. Some days do indeed feel as if Father Time decided to add a few days to the week, or more hours to the days. The following … More Starvation and Hunger, in a State of Siege: Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Days 27 & 28
Next to power without honor, the most dangerous thing in the world is power without humor. ~ Eric Sevareid There’s a joke making the rounds of the internet: “I feel like I’m 16 again. Gas is cheap and I’m grounded.” That feeling – of being grounded – chafes. The American way is one long highway, … More In a State of Siege: Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Days 25 & 26
CYNTHIA D. BERTELSEN 