recipe: peperonata (red pepper stew)

Most of my favorite dishes are connected to autumn – harvests, creeping twilight, and foods that provide a luscious but comforting counterpoint to the refreshing nip in the air.  I hadn’t made this one in years – perhaps hadn’t even made it for H – but it was something he really enjoyed. It’s worth doubling [...]

warp and weave, knots and hooks, and whether a rug takes an undue beating

I spent some time today thinking about the ways I’ve approached solving some problems and making concerted efforts to avoid others. By remaining as simple as possible, but no simpler. Respecting consistency, but not a foolish one. Learning from mistakes, golden rules, sitting with one’s self and being honest about what’s working and what isn’t. [...]

lay it down, let it go, fall in love

The chorus of the title track from Al Green’s latest album croons its directives: lay it down, let it go, fall in love. The lush strings, growls, and feeling of Al’s 70s groove (which he himself has said has contributed to repopulation in that decade) comes back with such rich, loving, gusto, you’ll conceive all [...]

facebook, “friendship”

It’s funny how a fruitfly infestation can push other seemingly weighty yet related (ok, only to those on sleep deprivation) topics to the fore. Here’s one.
About a year ago, I registered for an account on Facebook. It seemed like a good thing to do, given I would be leaving my job soon, and I wanted [...]

and then, I got it.

I hadn’t seen my father since my 38th birthday, many many grey hairs ago. Before they unionized. Before Ben was crawling, or eating anywhere except Mom’s 24-7 Dairy bar. Before waiters stopped carding H. Before Ben’s first food, steps, words, animal sounds, full night’s sleep. Before my father got new knees, and remarried.
The reasons were [...]

Christmas animal action

Last year, Ben learned a song at daycare called Animal Action, where he would move and make sounds like a particular animal. It was one of his favorites, given his established love of creatures.  He still performs it, along with the Zoboomafoo theme song.
So, as people asked for Christmas gift ideas, I went to the [...]

Bibo no Aozora

I am walking in the music, in DMaj, in the rain, and I see you, and here I am next to you, and we’re in the sky together for a moment, and then we are gone. The sky of a over a pier over in Hong Kong, of a Toronto afternoon, in between hotels in [...]

scent of a woman, nose of a man

I don’t wear a lot of makeup, but I do wear perfume pretty regularly. It usually takes me a long time to find one I like, or to decide when I want to wear it, but once I pick one, I usually stick with it. It feels like part of me, part of my identity. [...]

where you been, girl?

Oh, I’ve been doing some interesting things… learning how to make a delicious salad with nothing more than salt, pepper, tomatoes and sheep milk feta, resigning from my job, experimenting and succeeding in making a toddler-friendly, entirely vegan american chop suey recipe, and figuring out my future. It’s all had me occupied.
I’ve been doing [...]

getting comfortable with uncertainty

At one point, I remember reading about people who decided to commit suicide; that once they made the decision to end their lives, the day to day agony was gone. They had a plan, they had a sense of certainty, and this gave them tremendous relief and helped them regain a sense of composure. They [...]