Feeling Presidential

There was a time when my oldest son knew every last detail about the U.S. Presidents. He was 6 years old and knowing this trivia was his passion; their pets, their kids, their hobbies, the shortest in stature, the heaviest, the assassinated, the bachelor.

President's Day

President’s Day

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Tammy’s Top Ten (t3 report) Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day

I have to admit straight up that I loved the rant by Nat’s mom on why we should ignore this most commercial of days. She’s not wrong – it’s a retailer heyday but at the same time, if you are celebrating it, there are some ways that we can use the holiday to contribute to the greater good.

Love in the Desert

Love in the Desert

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Old, New, Borrowed and Blue

When I got married, I was careful to carry something from each of these categories down the aisle; a beautiful old dress, new Kenneth Cole shoes and a borrowed blue garter to fulfill the last two requirements. I don’t believe I gave it more thought than that. Had I done so, I might’ve had a glimpse into the origin of this saying as it is the ne’er stated last line that gives us our best clue.

Celebrating Weddings

Celebrating Weddings

Something old,
something new,
something borrowed,
something blue,
and a silver thruppence in her shoe.

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Thawing Out

In 1971, it was -40 farenheit in Arizona, setting a record low. Over the past week or so, we haven’t come close to that high country freeze but it has been cold. Our beautiful bougainvillea are ugly and brown. Fronds are falling from the jacaranda as if it was an aspen in autumn. I’m even carrying gloves in my handbag. We rarely experience the opportunity for top coats and cocoa.

AZ Cold Snap

AZ Cold Snap

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Like a Good Neighbor

Until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of Eric Klinenberg. Then, he was front stage and center of a news story that mesmerized me and now, I’m stalking him.

Dr. Klinenberg is a professor of Urban Studies, Culture and Media at New York University. In 2003, he wrote the book Heatwave, detailing the 1995 Chicago summer temperature surge and the severe distress that it created in the communities there. More than 700 lives were lost that July due to extreme heat and poor response.

Chicago Neighbors via flickr.com/photos/gnas/2546442759/

Chicago Neighbors via flickr.com/photos/gnas/2546442759/

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Molecular Gastronomy

It can be described as the intersection of chemistry and the appetite. Last week our local science museum created a special Science Salon to highlight cooking as alchemy. I’ll admit straight up that as a slow foodist, I was skeptical however, the journey that Josh Hebert, Chef and Owner of POSH “Improvisational Cuisine” was remarkable.

Dessert - Not Salmon Roe

Dessert – Not Salmon Roe

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Lightening Up

Do you know the feeling when you’ve just finished cleaning out the hallway closet? For me, that stack of old sweaters bound for the thrift shop is much more than a closet cleansing and it leaves me energized and feeling remarkably satisfied. I experience the same sensation at work when I hack through the items on my desk so that I can actually see the surface again.

A light dish for the New Year

A light dish for the New Year

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