I keep on plugging away at classical guitar, resurrecting this discipline I haven’t studied in so many long years. I’ve more or less worked my way through the book that was my introduction to playing, compiled and composed by one Christopher Parkening, and have moved on to some slightly more intermediate-level exercises and pieces. This … Continue reading Talent—or Time? Searching for the Special Sauce
Pandemic Hobbies
Journal Entry: Gardening Is Difficult, and Other Truths
exquisite flowers, not from our garden Early this morning I stood outside near the badminton net in our back yard, clutching a dog poop bag in my hand and waiting for Scout to do his doings. Something on the ground caught my eye; further examination revealed a half-eaten green tomato, abandoned. Dammit. Hope you enjoyed … Continue reading Journal Entry: Gardening Is Difficult, and Other Truths
Journal Entry: I Roast a Red Pepper
roasted red peppers …without burning down the house. The Chef was on an errand and I wanted to make Salade Niçoise, which calls for roasted red peppers. So I leaned on this little video by Chef Shelley Young at The Chopping Block, et, voilà! My first effort was not too bad, although my peppers were … Continue reading Journal Entry: I Roast a Red Pepper
Sunday Photo Essay: Mushrooms Are Good and Other Truths
a good mushroom When I was growing up you could not have paid me enough money to eat a mushroom; this never dissuaded my mom from trying. She made beef stroganoff as part of the dinner entrée rotation, and evidently the recipe called for slimy little canned mushrooms. The sensorial outrage going on inside my … Continue reading Sunday Photo Essay: Mushrooms Are Good and Other Truths
Music Story: A Guitar Worth Playing…
a guitar worth playing …is worth playing badly. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it. And anyway, the pandemic does not care. In prep school I met and become fast friends with one Stephanie (Pipkin) Jackson, who was something of a musical savant, already accomplished at classical guitar at the tender age of 13; … Continue reading Music Story: A Guitar Worth Playing…
Sycamore Stories 