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Monthly Archives: June 2021

Change the channel, please

Thursday, June 24, 2021

I think Lily is telling me that “Luca” is not as good as reviewers said it is.

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How to keep on losing

Thursday, June 24, 2021

People in these parts are still flying their Trump flags. Many are faded and tattered. This one has fallen and has been down for days. The Republican Party, as it is currently constituted, and, given the course it’s on, cannot win another national election. The 2020 election made that clear. And yet, with the exception […]

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Runaway squash and cucumbers

Monday, June 21, 2021

I had the good sense this year to plant a sparse garden for easier maintenance. Even so, when the garden kicks in, you can’t turn your back on it even for a day. I had skipped a day of harvesting, and this morning I picked five pounds of squash and cucumbers from four squash plants […]

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Charles Dickens: Barnaby Rudge

Saturday, June 19, 2021

The Maypole Inn Choosing the next novel to read is a huge pain in the neck. I Google for novels on particular subjects or particular periods, or I pore over book lists, and then I look up the books on Amazon. Sometimes I settle on a novel that looks like it might be a good […]

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Pasta is a piece of cake

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

Homemade tagliatelle with basil-parsley pesto. The basil, parsley, and lettuce came from my garden. The pesto was made with a mortar and pestle. When I posted last week about working on my Italian cooking (“A summer project: Italian cooking,” June 2), I was not thinking about pasta — honest. I was thinking about how to […]

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It’s day lily time again

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Click here for high-resolution version. The photo was shot with an iPhone 12 Max Pro. The day lilies are about a week late this year, because of the cool spring. I have some day lilies in the front ditch by the road, but most of my day lilies are on a bank above the driveway. […]

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The princely hoe

Monday, June 7, 2021

The new hoe I confess that I ruined my old hoe. I left it out in the weather too often. That weakened the handle, and the handle separated from the blade. The blade fell off while I was hoeing a row of tomatoes. To wear out a hoe would be an honorable thing. But to […]

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A summer project: Italian cooking

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

A friend who lives in the south of France asked me yesterday in email what plans I have for summer. I couldn’t think of a thing, other than trying not to hide too much indoors in a bug-free, air-conditioned house. Then I remembered one thing: That, with the riches I hope to get from the […]

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