Summer heat. You have to love it. And if you don’t, choices boil down to coping or changing hemispheres regularly. Here’s survival techniques picked up during my years in Texas, Tunisia and Italy.
Schedule: Follow a Mediterranean rhythm; schedule your most strenuous activities and outdoor time in the early morning and late afternoon. (Who would have [...]
Musing on the difference between needing caffeine or needing the coffee break itself, it occurs to me once again the importance of savouring the moment.
Learned about a very interesting U.S. lacemaking boom in The Laces of Ipswich: The Art and Economics of an Early American Industry, 1750-1840
Anyone out there on Goodreads? I’d love to see [...]
Last week was wet and wonderful. However, technology and I seemed to be on different wavelengths. The office phone was not forwarding to my cell. Many apologies to those who we missed. You’ll hear from me today. Plus, my traveling photo tweets never showed up on my timeline (Twitterrific, you’ve always served me well, were [...]
“Miss Rumphius” by Barbara Cooney is my favorite children’s book. I didn’t get to grow up with it, but I made sure that my kids did. As a child, Miss Rumphius decides her three goals in life. How she will meet them, she’s not quite sure, but,
“In the meantime Alice got up and washed her [...]
As details for the July’s tour, Vermont Craft and Cuisine are stitched together, I’m always struck by the passion and enthusiasm of the farmers, winemakers and artisans…. not too mention the people that have signed up. Vermont Tourism obviously agrees with me, and their You Tube channel features some of these people. Check out some [...]
Wooly lengths were not the only yarns in Harrisville last week.
There were the story yarns as well. Our small group of knitters chatted happily about knitting inspiration, patterns, gossip, and iPhone apps on the way up to Harrisville. We were totally intrigued by Chick’s tour of the Harrisville Designs spinning mill. For 30 plus [...]
Pasquetta, Italy’s national holiday after Easter is the first “official” opportunity to eat outdoors and enjoy spring. After the downpours that drenched most of northern Italy last week, there will definitely be trepidation to picnic. Even in Sicily, the highs will be around 20 C… around 69 F.
You may have heard about the torrential [...]
New England is dotted with mill towns. The brick buildings along rivers and streams powered the 19th Century industrial revolution. They also extended US political revolution by promoting economic independence from Britain. Each mill developed and declined as manufacturing moved elsewhere in the US and eventually overseas. As I explore New England, it’s so interesting [...]
Conventional wisdom would denigrate Boston as a prime winter destination. Too bad for you, if you follow conventional wisdom. Currently it is cold, with no snow, blue skies and a slew of fantastic textile exhibits that should not be missed.
Scurry over to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem for one of the most inspiring fashion [...]
You know how we all get in that cooking rut? Even if you like new recipes and enjoy cooking, I tend to fall into the same old routine. About 10 years ago, nominating a “vegetable of the season” was one way to try new things I saw in Italian markets, stretch taste buds and expand [...]