An Open Letter to President-Elect Biden: Why do you even want this job? To the best of my knowledge, you don’t play golf or enjoy tooling around in a golf cart. I feel that, if you did play, you would probably walk the course, anyways. I doubt that you even anticipate weekends and evenings off. When you communicate with us, please use the spoken word, which appears … [Read more...] about A View from My Porch: A Letter to President-Elect Biden
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Legal News You Can Use: Why CT Motorcyclists Should Never Pass on a Helmet
Experienced motorcyclists possess a high level of skill that helps keep them safe during each trip. Yet no matter how skilled a rider may be, there is also some element of luck that helps motorcyclists avoid a negligent driver when they are riding on Connecticut’s highways. When luck is no longer on your side, wearing a helmet may help prevent serious injuries or … [Read more...] about Legal News You Can Use: Why CT Motorcyclists Should Never Pass on a Helmet
A la Carte: Zucchini Cake For Now … or Later (It Freezes Beautifully)
Sometimes, I wish I had a garden, but I don’t like dirt or insects. My late husband’s family always had vegetable and flower gardens. My parents could have had a garden, but they didn’t even know what a trowel was, never mind seeding, weeding, picking or cooking vegetables. When I married my husband and we bought our first house, one with a small yard, we had a little … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Zucchini Cake For Now … or Later (It Freezes Beautifully)
A la Carte: How to Bake an Election Cake!
According to Walter Woodward, PhD, Connecticut’s Historian, years ago there was a Connecticut Election Cake Recipe. The newer recipe I found, “A Modern Election Cake Recipe,” looks like a half birthday cake, half fruit cake. It calls for yeast, some butter and buttermilk (the latter of my favorite add-ins for all cakes) vanilla, eggs, and so on. Like a fruit cake, you add … [Read more...] about A la Carte: How to Bake an Election Cake!
A la Carte: Mushrooms by the Million? Soup is the Solution!
This weekend, friends from Lyme offered a pound of freshly picked shiitake mushrooms for eight dollars a pound. I asked if I could get two. So this is a very short paragraph ... I am going to give you two mushroom soup recipes, both of which are incredible. You can use shiitake mushrooms (whose woody stems should be discarded), cremini, or other varieties. One is easy; … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Mushrooms by the Million? Soup is the Solution!
Gardening Tips from ‘The English Lady’ for October — a Month of Soft Sunshine, Consummate Color
Welcome to October everyone. I love gentle breezes of all and soft sunshine and the foliage colors are breathtaking. The soil is still warm and you can plant until the first week of November. In fact, early November is a great time to plant spring bulbs. You also have time over the next few weeks to divide summer blooming perennials, which have been in the ground for … [Read more...] about Gardening Tips from ‘The English Lady’ for October — a Month of Soft Sunshine, Consummate Color
A View From My Porch: Make America Safe Again, A Primer on Herd Immunity
A lot of people recently started saying, “Herd immunity.” So, to get up to speed, I reviewed some of my old textbooks and learned (again) that “herd immunity” occurs when a substantial portion of the population (i.e., the “herd”) has, at least in our contemporary medical era, been vaccinated (e.g., MMR.) This eventually provides protection for vulnerable individuals … [Read more...] about A View From My Porch: Make America Safe Again, A Primer on Herd Immunity
The Movie Man: ‘Tis the Season for Scary Movies, ‘The Changeling’ is an Oft-Overlooked Classic
If I were to inquire among the public what they consider to be one of the scariest films ever made, I would hear countless familiar titles: The Exorcist, Alien, Jaws, The Shining, The Silence of the Lambs … each one terrifying in its own manner. But there is one horror film that will linger in the viewer’s mind well after completing it, and it lacks a reputation akin to the … [Read more...] about The Movie Man: ‘Tis the Season for Scary Movies, ‘The Changeling’ is an Oft-Overlooked Classic
Reading Uncertainly? ‘Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security’ by Sarah Chayes
What happens when you see blatant corruption first-hand? Is this the world we now inhabit? Sarah Chayes, a former NPR correspondent, entrepreneur and foreign policy specialist, now with the Carnegie Foundation, has seen it all and has fought it, not always successfully. She describes her personal experiences in Afghanistan, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Uzbekistan and … [Read more...] about Reading Uncertainly? ‘Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security’ by Sarah Chayes
The Movie Man: Sandler Has Done It Again in ‘Hubie Halloween’
Adam Sandler has done it again. No, he didn’t bring in a stunning performance to follow up Uncut Gems, but rather he has brought us another stupid movie that we can love: Hubie Halloween. Ever since his movie career began in the 90s, Sandler has brought us countless flicks that have ridiculous premises, but lovable characters, who deliver humor that can be described as … [Read more...] about The Movie Man: Sandler Has Done It Again in ‘Hubie Halloween’
A la Carte: Meatballs are Perfect for (Small) Pandemic Gatherings
Feeding small groups of people during the pandemic is a problem. For our fundraiser for Democratic candidates (you knew I was a Democrat, didn’t you?), I decided to make meatballs and red sauce. As I learned long ago, everyone’s favorite “ethnic” food is Italian and, even though I have not a whit of Italian blood, I make lots of foods from Italy. So, the question was: … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Meatballs are Perfect for (Small) Pandemic Gatherings
A View from My Porch: Great Leaders, Great Speeches; The Finale: Collapse of the Soviet Union.
Editor’s Note: This the sixth and final part of Thomas Gotowka’s series titled “Great Leaders and Great Speeches.’ The previous four parts can be found at these links: A View from My Porch: Great Leaders and Great Speeches, Part 1: Washington’s Farewell through Theodore Roosevelt A View from My Porch: Great Leaders and Great Speeches, Part 2: Nazi Aggression through “A Rain … [Read more...] about A View from My Porch: Great Leaders, Great Speeches; The Finale: Collapse of the Soviet Union.
A la Carte: Hold on to Summer, Make Your Own Luscious Ice Cream, Sorbets
Last week I missed getting the last peaches available at Whittle’s. This made me sad because, even though it is late September, I guess I am not ready for fall. In any case, I did find delicious peaches at Big Y and made two crisps (like cobblers but made with nuts, oat, butter, flour and sugar). Of course, I gave the desserts away because, once I have a portion at home, … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Hold on to Summer, Make Your Own Luscious Ice Cream, Sorbets
Gardening with The English Lady: Tips for September, the Month of ‘Warmth, Depth and Color’ (Patience Strong)
Rain through August has been quite plentiful. The weeds continue to grow but I have been able to keep a handle on them with the use of natural Bradfield Organics corn gluten-based weed pre-emergent, which can be purchased at any reputable garden center. HYDRANGEAS ... AND THEIR PRUNING The reason that Hydrangeas do not bloom is that gardeners prune them at the wrong … [Read more...] about Gardening with The English Lady: Tips for September, the Month of ‘Warmth, Depth and Color’ (Patience Strong)
Reading Uncertainly? ‘The Youngest Science: Notes of a Medicine Watcher’ by Lewis Thomas
There is nothing quite like reading about the advances in medicine in the middle of a pandemic, especially when those advances were first reported to me some 37 years ago. Lewis Thomas wrote his fluid, literate, and candid autobiography back in 1983, when I first read it. It is his personal story of curiosity, experimentation, failures, and successes. He confirms how much we … [Read more...] about Reading Uncertainly? ‘The Youngest Science: Notes of a Medicine Watcher’ by Lewis Thomas