WE KEEP SHEEP, Y’KNOW
THIS ALL STARTED with Wife Dottie and Panaramus, her childhood pet lamb, who climbed the hay bale stack with her and the dogs. Years later, Wife Dottie learned the art … Continue reading
THE ORIGIN OF WINE
SAVEUR IS MY FAVORITE culinary magazine. It’s more than a collection of recipes, some straightforward and others exotically complex. Saveur is also a travel magazine, exploring how people around the … Continue reading
MUSINGS ON THINGS JAPANESE AND WESTERN
I’M READING a book that enhances my Nipponophile tendencies. This word comes from the Japanese name for their country, Nihon, and the Greek φιλέω, phileo, to love. Janice Nimura’s book, … Continue reading
HURRICANE ESTHER ’61
AS HURRICANE HERMINE moves her way up the Atlantic coast of the U.S., I’m reminded of 1961’s Hurricane Esther and my own drenching from her. The experience enabled me deftly … Continue reading
TRUTH, AFTER A FASHION
“IT’S ON THE INTERNET, so it must be true.” This may be the dumbest (and scariest) statement ever uttered. Yet it also prodded me to thinking about the concept of … Continue reading
WAGNER INVECTIVES
THE OPERAS OF Richard Wagner give Wife Dottie, Daughter Suz and me much pleasure, though I also appreciate that the subject matter, complexity and sheer length are something of an … Continue reading
RIGGED ELECTION? NOT AGAIN.
A RIGGED ELECTION? I’ll show you a rigged election, 1888-style. It makes today’s conspiracy theories sound like Sunday School play. A bit of background: The concept of ballot as we … Continue reading
A CELEBRATION OF SAKI
H.H. MUNRO, pen name Saki, wrote 100 years ago about Edwardian England. His stories and plays are akin to those of Oscar Wilde, P.G. Wodehouse and today’s Julian Fellowes–but with … Continue reading
COME ON-A BAUHAUS
IT’S ALWAYS RISKY paraphrasing old song titles, but it seemed too good to pass up “Come On-A My House” by singer Rosemary Clooney, George’s aunt. In truth, I’m early in … Continue reading
AVOCADO UNDER MY SKIN
THE MIND—and sometimes a good pun—is a terrible thing to waste. So is an avocado. We’ve been enjoying avocados of the Hass variety here in southern California. No surprise, as … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 