I have a lot of wonderful friends who are gifted and talented in many ways.  I know people who can fix computers, create recipes from scratch, code websites, play instruments, twirl batons, raise children and remodel houses.  But, for all these fantastic people, there is one type of friend I don’t have, and I am [...]

For the last few years, I’ve managed to get out to Portland during blueberry season. Not that I went out there only to pick blueberries, but it was always a highlight of the trip, as my family has been going out to the same U-pick farm on Sauvie Island for the last 15 years [...]

Walking silently, second of six in a single-file line, through the organic farm that separates the retreat center from the main convent, I heard someone holler, “Is that Marisa McClellan I see?”
I looked up to see a very tan person pull the hat off her head and use it to extend the waving arm she’s [...]

My friend Una is getting married this Saturday.  She spent years looking for the right guy, many time despairing that she would never find him.  Then, a couple of months after her 35th birthday, she spotted a guy on match.com who resonated with her.  She sent him an email, they went out and soon after, [...]

I find it amazing how three days away from the blog can make my writing muscles feel rusty and sore from disuse.  Saturday night I threw myself a birthday party and so spent a vast portion of the weekend either preparing for it or recovering from it (mostly in a cleaning sense, as I didn’t [...]

I Dined Out for Life tonight with four friends I don’t see nearly enough at Mixto (11th and Pine).  I had the ropa vieja, which came very highly recommended by Jamie, and was not at all disappointed by it.  It is a mess of slow and long-cooked beef in a sauce that is tangy and [...]

A couple of days ago, Raina spent the night with some folksinger friends in Western Mass who are friends from way back with Dar Williams. They presented Raina with a picture of Dar wearing a “Raina Rose Loves Me” button. A very cool thing for those of us who adore Dar.
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I feel like [...]

I got back into Philadelphia early Friday morning. After a day of unpacking, buying groceries and reorienting to east coast time, I picked Ingrid up at the airport. She had some airport drama but thankfully the travel gods knew that it was important for her to get here and so delivered her safe [...]

One of my favorite things about not having a job is being home for lunch. Yesterday I made braised swiss chard and quinoa. Today I made a huge bowl salad with Boston lettuce, feta, turkey bacon, avocado, tomato and red onion. It was really good.
I met up with some friends during the [...]

I made peach sauce twice last night.  I bought eight peaches yesterday afternoon, with the intention to cook four and have four for eating later.  I cut up half, put them in a pot with a little water, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice/zest and let them do their thing.  Only their thing included burning, leaving [...]