In Bologna they call them umarells, men hanging around building sites, watching people working with their hands. I’m an umarell. Here’s why. Read more.
Barbara’s Riffs on Life
Hanging Pictures: Too Much Art. Not Enough Wall Space. Sheltering at Home Week 24
Hanging pictures: we spent an entire Sunday on the project, pulling everything out of storage and propping it up all over the house. Read more.
Is Fluffy the New Black? Is Our Quarantine Hair Trying to Tell Us Something? Sheltering at Home Week 23
Is fluffy the new black? Fluffy hair. Fluffy, loose-fitting clothes. Fluffy, loose-fitting life styles. Fluffy boundaries between home and work. Read more.
Quarantine Hair: I’ve Got Curls All Over My Head. How Did That Happen? Sheltering at Home Week 22
Out of the blue, my hair has begun sprouting Shirley Temple ringlets. I’ve got curls, adorable curls. What the heck? I didn’t know my hair could curl. Read more.
We’re Putting Our Shabby Old Patio Out of Its Misery — At Last. Sheltering at Home Week 22
Our shabby old patio was a mess when we first laid eyes on it forty-two years ago. Today, it’s still not a pretty sight. Time for a redo. Read more.
Petunias! A Shopping Success Story. Sheltering at Home Week 21
The plant nursery down the hill was open for business. Everybody wore masks. Carts were wiped down with bleach. And there were — petunias! Read more.