I have long been very partial to Willie Nelson’s version of this beautiful song. I find it to be understated rather than overdone, with a bittersweet and mature tone of regret. Here it is: I had a vague memory – … Continue reading →
Hope your Christmas was good. Mine was: a great meal, seeing my grandchildren, and even a couple of presents for me. The following is an effort of mine from the past. That’s one of the advantages of having been a … Continue reading →
[NOTE: This is a repeat of a previous Christmas Eve post.] … a creature was stirring. On Christmas Eve I was expecting a visit from my son, who was flying in as a rare treat. I had tidied up, and … Continue reading →
[NOTE: Regulars here may remember that most years I put up a family Christmas recipe. And here it is again.] This recipe was brought over from Germany sometime in the mid-1800s, and was my favorite of all the wonderful treats … Continue reading →
I’m on the west coast for a while, visiting friends and family. It’s been raining incessantly and the forecast is for more of the same. Cold rain in the winter – ugh! Then again, I’m happy to be here and … Continue reading →
I’m extremely pleased to announce that Gerard Van der Leun’s poetry book, Into the Smoke of the World and other poems, is ready for purchase. Poetry was very dear to Gerard’s heart, and this beautiful book features almost all of … Continue reading →
I had originally thought Gerard’s poetry book would be ready for sale by November 1. Dream on. Then it seemed highly likely it would be ready by December 1. But then I ran into printer troubles. Trust me – you … Continue reading →
Somehow we managed to survive all these years, eating stuffing that was cooked within the cavity of the bird. But now every site warns not to. For example: …[M]any experts recommend baking the stuffing outside the bird, where it can … Continue reading →
It’s that time of year again: Christmas, Chanukah. If you’re like me, you’ve probably postponed your shopping – but there’s still plenty of time. If you use Amazon, please click on the Amazon link on the right sidebar on desktops … Continue reading →
I have a whole menagerie of pet peeves, and here’s one of them. Way too many websites push some action or other with a choice to do it or not do it. Sounds reasonable and inoffensive, right? And it is, … Continue reading →
From Robert Graboyes: If you and I have lunch together, I would be DELIGHTED to discuss history, science, art, music, architecture, economics, aviation, archaeology, travel, pets, cinema, television, numismatics, literature, sports, ethics, food, genetics, fashion, gardening, weather, family, transportation, agriculture, … Continue reading →
I thought I was finished with my work on formatting the poetry book by Gerard. I sent the PDF to the printer a couple of days ago – hooray! – and got back a proof that alas, didn’t look quite … Continue reading →