Last Saturday night, for the first time since March of 2020, I had dinner inside a restaurant. My stepdaughter, who is bicoastal (spends two weeks in Boston and the other two at her home in San Francisco), drove down and we had dinner at the Water Street Café. My friend Amy is chef-ing there while owner/chef Walter Houlihan rehabs from a broken leg, and Walter’s wife, … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Savor a Hint of Hungarian with Chicken Paprikash
Columnists
A View From My Porch: Epic Poems of Folk and Rock, Part I
In this essay, I posit that many works of contemporary folk and rock music are the natural successors of the epic poems of antiquity. In support of that hypothesis, I begin with a brief review of the epic genre; and then, discuss a few contemporary works that I feel meet the epic standard. The Epic Poem: An epic is a long, narrative poem that chronicles the extraordinary … [Read more...] about A View From My Porch: Epic Poems of Folk and Rock, Part I
A la Carte: A Better Bit of Brisket Made for a Super Seder
It was such a nice seder for Passover 2021. My friend Lisa and Eric invited six of us, all but eight of us vaccinated twice, the others soon to get their second. We played boules for a couple of hours; I hadn’t seen Jacques, the Hopkins or the Yavaris for over a year. In addition to appetizers including home-made latkes, along with gefilte fish and chopped liver, we drank … [Read more...] about A la Carte: A Better Bit of Brisket Made for a Super Seder
Reading Uncertainly? ‘American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence’ by Pauline Maier
Have we over-sanctified the American past in the last 50 years? It may well be, argues Pauline Maier, a professor of history at MIT, in her now-classic analysis of the creation of our Declaration of Independence. Three key documents epitomize the start of “these” United States: the Declaration, the Constitution, and its following initial amendments, the Bill of Rights. They … [Read more...] about Reading Uncertainly? ‘American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence’ by Pauline Maier
A la Carte: Smart Spice Veggie Soup Goes Easy on Calories, But Big on Taste
I had such a lovely weekend in Newburyport, Mass., two weeks ago. My granddaughter Casey, a junior at UMass-Amherst, is still in on campus learning in-person, but Sydney, whose 26th birthday we were celebrating, was there, as was middle-granddaughter Laurel, a tennis teacher/elementary school teacher. We all met at my daughter-in-law’s house and my son, Peter (the two are … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Smart Spice Veggie Soup Goes Easy on Calories, But Big on Taste
A la Carte: Crepes Cake is Beyond Delicious
I guess I thought, once I had had my second dose of COVID vaccine, plus waited the two-plus week to make sure I was safe from the infection and to be around people, but still safely masked most of the time, friends old or older than I could go out to dinner, in a restaurant. I was wrong. Nobody wanted to go out and play. I am still reading two to three books a week, … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Crepes Cake is Beyond Delicious
A View from My Porch: Is it Time for Americans to Acknowledge Climate Change?
Last April, LymeLine.com published a “Primer on Global Warming and Climate Change” Since that time, there has been a change in Presidential leadership; and, in January, the United States transitioned from a science-averse, to a science-centric Executive Branch, which may have an impact on how the Country views climate change. This essay is a “refresh” of the April essay, … [Read more...] about A View from My Porch: Is it Time for Americans to Acknowledge Climate Change?
Gardening Tips for March from The English Lady: Spring is in the Air, Making it a Busy Month in the Garden
March is a month of ‘wait and see’ as we anticipate walking around our gardens. This morning I walked outside, into a southwesterly breeze and a pleasantly warm sun. I took a deep breath and as I did, I caught the rich fragrance of the soil beginning to awaken. All of us are itching to get into the garden and I believe that foray will be earlier than last year owing to our … [Read more...] about Gardening Tips for March from The English Lady: Spring is in the Air, Making it a Busy Month in the Garden
A la Carte: Chicken Adobo with Coconut Rice is ‘Good and Easy’
This was another interesting food and friend weekend. I began the week with a Milton cauliflower pizza, which lasted for two evenings. I also finished up the beef stew topped with some quinoa I’d cooked and refrigerated. I like playing with quinoa. Then I made a sheet pan dinner that also lasted for two night. This time I placed parchment paper on the sheet before I added … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Chicken Adobo with Coconut Rice is ‘Good and Easy’
A la Carte: There’s Always Something to Celebrate with Red Velvet Cake
I have not seen my son, daughter-in-law and their three grown daughters since Thanksgiving of 2019. I missed another Thanksgiving, Christmases, Greek Easters and many birthdays. But Sydney, my second oldest granddaughter, will celebrate her March 16 birthday with her nuclear family and me in Newburyport, Mass. I will bring dinner, probably Pasta Bolognese, a big salad, lots … [Read more...] about A la Carte: There’s Always Something to Celebrate with Red Velvet Cake
Reading Uncertainly? ‘The Survival of the Bark Canoe’ by John McPhee
John McPhee, the ever-curious observer, listener, and recorder, has written and published some 30 books, exploring almost every facet of human existence. I’ve just re-read one of his earliest, and best, from 1975, an ode to, of all things, the canoe. Attracted to the water at an early age, he confesses “the canoe ... is the most beautifully simple of all vehicles.” So it is … [Read more...] about Reading Uncertainly? ‘The Survival of the Bark Canoe’ by John McPhee
A la Carte: Apples for the Asking
This was another fun food week. I am, as I mentioned before, tired of my own food. With few exceptions, I am eating my own food almost every day since the end of last March. Oh, sure, some takeout, but it is expensive and not a whole lot better than what I can make at home. Okay, it can be a whole lot better than I can make at home. But BTP (before the pandemic), I … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Apples for the Asking
A la Carte: Crispy Peanut-Chile Chicken with Sweet Potatoes … to Love!
I was so thrilled with the roasted sweet potato pie I made last week, that I decided to use sweet potatoes again for a recipe I found in an almost-two-year-old magazine I was about to toss. This time the recipe called for chicken and sweet potatoes, with the addition of peanut butter and hot chiles. I had an appointment with my primary doctor in the afternoon (after I … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Crispy Peanut-Chile Chicken with Sweet Potatoes … to Love!
Legal News You Can Use: Construction Worker’s Death Illustrates Dangers Within Industry
The January death of a Connecticut construction worker exemplifies the risks, hazards and dangers faced by people employed within this industry. Serious and fatal injuries are not uncommon among construction workers. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the 5,333 U.S. workers who died on the job in 2019, nearly 20 percent of the deaths – 1,061 – … [Read more...] about Legal News You Can Use: Construction Worker’s Death Illustrates Dangers Within Industry
A View from My Porch: The Marquis, Groucho, Sam … and Me
There are several events in American history for which I will always recall where I was, and what I was doing, on those dates. I just added the Jan. 6, 2021 violent attack on the Capitol by domestic terrorists, provoked by a defeated president at the end of his term, to my personal list of infamous events. Given the above, I decided to reconfirm my values; and so I am … [Read more...] about A View from My Porch: The Marquis, Groucho, Sam … and Me