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Home from the Hill
I’ve been longing to introduce you to my grandfather, Harold Monroe Macdonald. On President’s Day next month, he would have turned 109. The title of this post is from a poem by Robert…
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Secrets of Loveliness
This charming book was a Scholastic Book Selection when I was in grammar school. Every month our teacher passed out flyers for wonderful paperback books which students could order for only a few cents. …
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Comfort for Scary Times
I watched Ann Curry on TV last week report on the unrest in Africa. A little girl, age eight, described what it was like seeing her mother killed. The girl, so poised, had tears running…
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Something Old
I almost named this blog “I Love Old Things”. Because I do. Old books, old houses, old maps, old furniture. Old people. Things that have been around awhile tell tales that draw me in,…
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The January House
In the Northeast, we are under a deep freeze with more snow expected. If one dislikes winter, this one may be particularly distasteful. I’ve always been able to find the blessings of winter but this…
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New Year’s Eve Lesson (with pink suede and a baked potato)
The Christmas I was ten, my mother gave my sister and I our first handbags. They were cotton candy pink suede clutches that folded in half. All handbags given in those days contained…
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A Woman’s Christmas
Victoria Magazine’s A Woman’s Christmas is a lovely book that feeds the feminine soul at Christmas. With the annual hustle and bustle, noise and confusion, A Woman’s Christmas is an oasis in a sea…
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Emily’s Party
My library hosts a birthday party for Emily Dickinson each year on her December 10th birthday. These are quaint little affairs which include that corrupt pleasure, white frosted sheet cake, along with heaps of…
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Carrying Her Heart Away
During the war, it was considered un-Patriotic for a Homefront Honey not to care about her appearance. Even Rosie the Riveter wore lipstick while she riveted. Many of the red lipsticks at the…
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The Pillow Book
I’m known for frequent obsessions that often lead me down rabbit holes for weeks and weeks at a time. Whereupon, I must then find books, photos, links, papers, etc. to feed a compulsive need…
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Jewel Box
My first jewelry cache was a cream box with handpainted flowers that opened up to a pirouetting ballerina in front of a tiny oval mirror. I didn’t have much jewelry – just some bits and bobs…
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Fairy Tales
One Christmas, I received a sweet little teddy bear. Baby blue and soft, it had a wee golden turnkey on its back and when wound, elicited a charming tinkling version of Lara’s Theme from the film Dr.…
