Dear Kids and All Readers, Here comes March! It is a month in motion. Birds take flight on long journeys, chasing the sun. In the Northern Hemisphere, nests are built. Animals emerge from winter slumber. Even the weather seems to migrate—drifting from cold to warm and back again in a single afternoon. (Though here in Southern…
Hello, Kids, and All Readers, As I write this, I’m finishing a bowl of my neighbor’s delicious vegetarian pozole rojo, garnished with avocado and crispy corn tortilla strips, while listening to Andres Segovia play Joaquin Rodrigo‘s Concierto de Arnajuez. It’s arguably the most famous guitar concerto ever composed. For me, the piece is a gorgeous Spanish landscape, evoking Moorish images and Flamenco rhythms.…
Hello, Kids, and All Readers, Can you name all eight of Santa’s reindeer–not counting Rudolph, who is the ninth? Go ahead. I’ll wait. . . . If you’re grinning because you remembered them, did you rely on the 1949 song “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” with the verses, “You know Dasher and Dancer, and Prancer and…
Hello, Kids, and All Readers, I consider myself lucky to live in Southern California, where Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, is celebrated every November 1 and 2. The first day honors deceased children; the second day, deceased adults. It is a fiesta that can trace its roots to Mesoamerica, specifically to…
Dear Adult Readers–Be Forewarned! This news blog post may be too scary for some children or inappropriate for anyone dealing with the death of a loved one. Otherwise, in my opinion, it is perfect for Halloween! Read at your own risk or pleasure, depending on your circumstances, and preferably by candlelight or the glow of…
Hello, Kids, and all Readers, We see them everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere right now–from farms to grocery stores, garden shops, front porches, ovens, and Starbucks. Presenting autumn’s icon, the ubiquitous Pumpkin! Did you know that the word “pumpkin” came from the Greek pepon, meaning “large melon”? The French called it pompon, and the English…
Hello, Kids, Educators, and Families, School has resumed in many cities across the country. Farewell, Summer! Attentive readers may remember that I taught school for thirty-five years before retiring in 2013. Back then, here in San Diego, classes began the day after Labor Day. Now, school begins much earlier–in fact, on August 11 this year–to accommodate…
Dear Kids and all Readers, Years ago, I started collecting cookie cutters. I now have cans and bags of them for every season as well as some evoking the seashore, the farm, fruits and vegetables, and miscellaneous activities and objects. Long before I had grandchildren, I envisioned making cut-out cookies with them someday to create…
Hello, Kids and All Readers, Jacqueline Bouvier. Inveterate Reader–from childhood. Inquiring Photographer. Jackie Kennedy. Jackie O–a disrespectful nickname, I feel. Wife. Mother. First Lady. White House Restorer. America’s Queen. Influencer. Survivor. Writer. Editor. Grandmother. These are a few of her names, titles, and roles. But to me, she was Mentor. I met my mentor-to-be in…
Hello, Kids and All Readers, Between working on Book 7 and all its related tasks, I’m keeping a decades-long promise to myself. Call it Spring Cleaning, Common Sense, or my Gift to my Descendants. By choice, I became the repository of 150 years of family photos. You probably know where this is going. Three huge…
