Having a fashion sense is (and was) no easy task for me — which is confusing considering that my mother valued beauty and being a fashion plate above most other qualities. She left the house perfectly coiffed and dressed beautifully. Seamstresses occasionally custom-made clothes to fit her quite perfect body…

January 16, 2022 Food Big Pots of Homemade Soup made Super-Easy Raise your hand if you’re so sick of cooking you could live on dry cereal for the rest of your life. These days my answer is soup, soup, and more soup. Sometimes they resemble stews, sometimes chili, sometimes the…

Some Jewish people grow up warm and secure in their faith, where the eight days of Hanukah don’t have to compete with Christmas. These are the Jewish nurses and firefighters who take Christmas Eve shifts to ensure that their Christian brethren are home for the holidays. Not me. I grew…

T’is the season to do a million things (good, great, exhausting, hair-pulling-annoying) but one I find the most relaxing is finding (and recommending) small shops, artists, and craftspeople. …

When you grow up a fatherless daughter of a fatherless mother, where does your outlook on family begin? Culture? Nurture? My mother worked hard, partied harder, and resembled a movie star when dolled up. My sister and I watched her transform as we three raced around, getting ready for school…

Our writer’s code, written into our secret writer club rules, reminds us that day jobs stand between us and a published novel. I understand. For years I thought if only and when and someday. And yes, working one, two, three jobs at a time took a big bite out of…

My sister and I are great liars. World-class liars. Maybe we were born with the trait (after all, our paternal grandmother’s top hobby was shoplifting.) Brooklyn-born Great-Aunt Sally (Jewish, like the rest of the family) pretended to be Catholic and French — and swore she attended the Sorbonne. …

This morning I woke trying to remember the day. Saturday? Ah, wait, it’s New Year’s Eve. Goodbye, 2020. Welcome, 2021? I looked back into my photos to see where I was in Jan 2020 (only one year ago) and found the picture above — taken at the Highline in New…

Dear Elected Officials Throughout the United States, In my state — Massachusetts — Secretary of State William Galvin wants me to deliver my ballot in person (though I’ve already mailed in my primary ballot, so I guess praying for deliverance is my current option.) I’m glad to have the ballot…