Category Archives: books & music

the death cleaning dilemma

Posted on January 29, 2018 by

There’s a new book out:  THE GENTLE ART OF SWEDISH DEATH CLEANING, by Margareta Magnusson. Margareta sounds like a lovely lady.  Thoughtful, kind and filled with the wisdom of the elderly, she writes that we should be considerate of our … Continue reading →

Posted in a more pie opinion, books & music, family, rhode island | 2 Comments

a darn good saturday

Posted on January 21, 2018 by

Yesterday there was this: A kaleidoscope quilt top made several years ago.  You layer 6 layers of fabric in exactly the same places on the design and cut wedges.  The wedges are sewn together to form different patterns.  This was … Continue reading →

Posted in books & music, quilting, rhode island, television | 4 Comments

the frozen dead

Posted on January 18, 2018 by

Here’s a new mystery series on Netflix.  It’s in French, with English subtitles, and set in the French Pyrenees. We liked almost all of the episodes–good characters and lots of mysterious happenings–but the last episode left us…cold.  It ended with … Continue reading →

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the quiltmaker’s gift

Posted on December 11, 2017 by

My French Friend Janou sent this to me for my birthday.  It’s about a quiltmaker who only makes quilts to give away and a greedy king who will do anything to get one of them. MFFJ thought I would love … Continue reading →

Posted in books & music, family, friends, quilting, rhode island | 1 Comment

happy birthday and happy halloween

Posted on October 31, 2017 by

My brother was born on Halloween, which meant we grew up celebrating his birthday with a party with the neighborhood kids before setting out to trick-or-treat. I can taste the potato sticks now. We loved Halloween.  Living in a suburban … Continue reading →

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almost sisters

Posted on October 25, 2017 by

I really loved this book.  Here’s what was written on Amazon: “With empathy, grace, humor, and piercing insight, the author of gods in Alabama pens a powerful, emotionally resonant novel of the South that confronts the truth about privilege, family, and the … Continue reading →

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pie porn

Posted on April 24, 2017 by

To This is a gorgeous book about pie. I sadly returned it to the library yesterday, but not before copying some of the recipes for pie crust and fruit pies. And I bought lard. As soon as the basement is … Continue reading →

Posted in books & music, food | 2 Comments

winter reading

Posted on January 9, 2017 by

I’m starting to feel better, so I thought I’d sit here at the desk for a few minutes and at least send a short post about books.  I’m always reading (my biggest lifelong addiction), and here are two books that I … Continue reading →

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a keyboard kind of day

Posted on December 21, 2016 by

  We started off our day by catching a cab at 10 AM and heading down the hill to the Palmer Event Center for the annual Christmas bazaar. This is no ordinary Christmas bazaar.  Because it’s in Austin, there’s a … Continue reading →

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sound stage

Posted on December 17, 2016 by

Here is the altar of the Saint Louis Cathedral set up for the evening’s concert, which would be local artist and musician Tony Green and his Gypsy Jazz group. It was a wonderful show.  We lined up early and snagged … Continue reading →

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