That old tub-shower has got to go. A stall shower will be much safer. No quartz for me, though. I’m going for colorful tile and a 1950s vibe. Read more.
House and Garden
It’s Spring and My Garden Looks Dreadful. Here’s Why
My garden looks dreadful. Here’s why. My plants won’t cooperate. The iris wants to be an iris. The azalea, an azalea. The poppy, a poppy. Read more.
Not Dead Yet. That Feral Plum Tree Lives On
The old plum tree lying on its side was a messy scramble of black and useless branches. But it was not dead yet. Read more.
California Clay: Oozing, Writhing, Glistening Art. Now at the Bedford Gallery
Bedford Gallery’s “California Clay” show, where ceramic art forgets to look like art and chooses instead to ooze, glisten, drip and writhe. Read more.
Widowed: A Bathroom for One
My husband isn’t here to take care of me. I’m taking care of me now. I’m widowed and I’m treating myself to a bathroom for one. Read more.
What’s Rhetoric? Let My Two-Year-Old Enlighten You
My daughter Christina discovered the art of rhetoric when she was being weaned from baby bottle to plastic cup. She’d say, “I want milk and I don’t want it in a cup” — an elegant illocutionary statement that usually got her what she wanted, her bottle.