What now? My quandary resembled de Kooning’s Untitled XI — one of his “20 new canvases”completed at 71 years old. What’s next? What is my passion? My answers and inspiration come from going outside myself… the Art Institute of Chicago my muse. I put … Continue reading
Heart Throb… How many hearts did you break? How many songs did it take? VALENTINE IT’S YOU! How many times, no clue— How many promises to be true? “Don’t be a fool, eat pasta fazool.” In the mood to brood? Change your attitude… With John’s Hearty comfort food. JOHN’S “HEARTY” PASTA FAZOOL INGREDIENTS: 2 tablespoons butter, divided … Continue reading
On January 2,2011 I received this notice from WordPress.com. I am thrilled. I wanted to share it with you and thank you for your support: “The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health: The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads WOW. Crunchy … Continue reading
New Year 2011. A time for new beginnings comes with the promise of a child filled with wonder, energy, unrealized dreams, and love… But… “before we can welcome in the New Year, we need to put the Old Year’s unfinished business— mistakes, shortcomings, and disappointments behind us…toss the bad memories from the past into the … Continue reading
“Krampus” is the untamed, shaggy spirit that accompanies St. Nicholas and can be seen throughout the Bavarian and Austrian alpine region during the Advent season. Searching out the children that haven’t been good! They look and act frightening and scary! Krampusses usually roam in larger groups. Their traditional costumes and masks are elaborately handcrafted and … Continue reading
The Last Sunday of Summer. The afternoon air tinged with damp. The hum of energy and anticipation, furtive glances of you’re-too-late mixed with smiles of recognition, smart phone connections, looking, eating, reading, drinking, talking, laughing, watching, and waiting… The first concert under the baton of Grandissimo Maestro Riccardo Muti, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s new music … Continue reading
Taste of Pensacola, a Chicago neighborhood block party, cordoned off with cars at each end, so the kids can ride bikes and trikes on the street all day. Complete with a blown-up-bouncing??? like a trampoline on steroids??? machine? Where children bounce up and down, giggling, falling, getting up again, sweating with exertion, breathless with fun. … Continue reading
My mother told me long ago to travel while “you can still climb the stairs.” She was talking about Europe’s cathedrals and Rome, but I heed her words. Spiraling up Costa Rica’s Guanacaste tree to the zip-line platform over the rain forest, Torrey Pines Beach State Park”s trail traversing to the ocean, the surfer steps … Continue reading
Jamie Oliver has taken on obesity, heart disease and diabetes in the US, where our children are the first generation not expected to live as long as their parents. Oliver is inviting television viewers to take a stand and change the way America eats, in home kitchens, schools and workplaces, with the thought-provoking new series, … Continue reading
The Gulf Coast of Florida, where stunning sunsets, whimsy of the beaches, mystery of the Everglades, fortitude of the farmers and fishermen and neon natives and snowbirds converge in an experience of American diversity. Most obvious at the Farmer’s Markets… And the beach. The Farmers Market with truckloads of citrus fruits and stands that display … Continue reading
Italian Handful 