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Manhunt at Maywood
Having a fire engine with a full complement of firefighters in the driveway is reassuring when there is a fugitive in the woods. Being protected in our sleep by so many law enforcement and emergency workers makes me feel secure. Knowing that police patrol cars, helicopters, search dogs, firefighters, and ambulance drivers know where I live… Continue reading
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A Tale of Haggis
Strolling through the Notting Hill market during my recent trip to London, I did not see Hugh Grant or Julia Roberts. I did, however, see a sign in a butcher’s stall for haggis. I had to take a picture of the sign. Then I peered around to the front of the stall to see if there… Continue reading
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In Search of London: Gin &Tonic Sorbet and Pasties
The last time I had high tea in London I was with a group of mothers and daughters. We went to Harrod’s and had a grand time. We ate a bazillion cute little pastries and drank so much tea that it led to Kristin’s famous bed-time utterance “My little heart is beating very fast.” This… Continue reading
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Live from London
I think I’m in London. That’s where the plane landed. And there are red double-decker buses lumbering down the streets. The traffic goes in the wrong direction. Yield signs say “Give way” and exit signs read “Way out.” I have pounds, not dollars or euros, in my purse. We take the Tube (or the Underground)… Continue reading
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Little man hands
It was too quiet Friday morning, so I looked outside and saw the little guy working on the tractor with PopPop. From the upstairs window it was just the cutest thing. Then I went outside to inspect closer. Oh my. Grandson was busy at work scraping gunk off the tractor engine. This is a 1952 tractor… Continue reading
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The back forty
Here at Maywood, there’s the back yard and then there’s what’s beyond the back yard. That is John’s territory–down the hill and into the woods. It is not visible from the house. This is very important. If I can’t see it, then I can’t yell about what it looks like. Periodically I get invited back to see projects in… Continue reading
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The house is a-buzz
Friday afternoon, I came home to hear that Harper has a job. PopPop hired him to kill carpenter bees at the rate of twenty-five cents a bee. I have no doubt that Harper’s eyes registered “ka–ching!” when he looked at all the carpenter bees buzzing around the house. With enough sunny days and the right… Continue reading
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Marching into spring…with my rake
Last week the clock said to spring forward, but there is nothing about getting up an hour earlier that gets me springing anywhere. However, an extra hour of daylight in the afternoon was a good enticement to spring home from work, grab a rake, and head out into the garden. I love to rake. It makes… Continue reading
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Heigh ho! Oh no! It’s back to work I go!
When the buzzards start circling, it’s a pretty good sign to get up and show some signs of life. I’m not referring to colleagues trying to take over my job. (Like they would want it.) I’m being literal. Pneumonia-stricken Shelley and I were catching sunbeams on the Café Maywood porch one balmy day this past week… Continue reading
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Bugs–visible and invisible
Some would say I deserved the wasp sting. That’s what I get for being home on a balmy day in February, relaxing in the backyard without even a coat on. Well, I was minding my own business, when this nasty wasp just came upon me and stabbed me through my sweater. The nerve! I quickly… Continue reading
Slightly Off the Grid 