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A Day in November
Like Christmas, one of my favorite days of the year comes but once in twelve months. Yesterday was the day I made my annual trek to my favorite Boston book fair. This exhibit…
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Flights of Fancy
Have you been stopped at a red light in a November dusk and watched the eerie dance of the starlings? They fly en masse from wire to wire with the precise unison of synchronized swimmers. …
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Football Love
That possibly innocent observation by Henry had an instant and cruel effect on Lavinia: it took her back vividly to Soldiers’ Field at Harvard. Oh! twenty years ago or more. She had to close her…
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Nightie ‘Nite
Nowhere in a women’s wardrobe can she be so completely feminine as with lingerie. It is the last bastion of lace, flounces, rustles, and truly luxurious fabrics. This summer, our soft cool New England nights…
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Fashion and a Guest
One doesn’t need a petite cottage in the backyard to host a guest. Just a comfy bed and a little space for some personal things. My friend Karen is here for her yearly…
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Consolation
In high school, I wanted to be a cheerleader more than anything. I adored the uniforms: black and orange wool skirts with wide pleats, cozy crewneck letter sweaters, black socks and saddle shoes. I especially…
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When lilacs last in the door-yard bloom’d…
Those are Walt Whitman’s words. The poem seems to be an ode to spring but in his later years, Whitman admitted he was writing about the tragic death of Abraham Lincoln. That April, the lilac…
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Nothing to Wear
I lost seven sweaters to moths this year. I read I should have sanded down my cedar blocks to refresh and reactivate their repellant properties. Sadly, the sweaters were cashmere and in colors that made…
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The February House
“China tea, the scent of hyacinths, wood fires and bowls of violets – that is my mental picture of an agreeable February afternoon.” ~ Constance Spry I would add a ticking clock to Miss…
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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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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…
