As you may know, I had to put my dear sweet Laddy to sleep last Thursday. While he’d been eating less and walking slower since July, last week there were drastic changes in his behavior and appetite and even in the look of his orange-brown eyes. When Marika and Mabel were here visiting two weeks ago, the four of us enjoyed bluff walks and love fests...
Read MoreStories from a Jewish Kitchen
When I think of my grandmother, Bub, I think of food. Potato and lox soup, boiled in an aluminum pot on the stove, soup meat stringing off marrow bones and gefilte fish made from scratch. On Gefilte Fish Day, Bub pushed slabs of raw carp through the electric meat grinder. The smell was so ripe that I had to run through the kitchen holding my...
Read MoreHow Not to Live in the Past
Marika and Mabel went back to Arizona yesterday. It was great to spend so much time together and sad to see them go. Sure, we had some moments of tension and disagreements, but, after all these years, we’ve found ways to talk or not talk our way through them. Sometimes there is even compassion and understanding as we work through the friction....
Read MoreWhat I Learned From Making Blueberry Pancakes
As a kid I often ate waffles and ice cream for breakfast. Or a bowl of Lucky Charms without the milk. Or Sugar Pops, without a spoon, one sweet, sticky kernel at a time. On weekends we’d have bagels and lox and whitefish from the deli. Sometimes my father made scrambled eggs with thick round slices of Hebrew National salami, or French toast with Log...
Read MoreThe Thrill of Camp
I never went to sleepover camp as a kid. The idea of being away from home and sharing a cabin with strangers was the furthest thing from my idea of fun. But when Patti Digh announced her Design Your Life Camp, complete with inspiring speakers, art-making and a talent show, I leaped at the opportunity. Some of my favorite teachers and writers...
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