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Other than receiving a diagnosis of a terminal illness, what’s the worst thing you can hear in a doctor’s office?  For me it’s a toss-up between, “It’s time for another colonoscopy” and “When were you born?” I am the proud owner of an impressive collection of imaginative recipes of veggies from asparagus to zucchini which I have Googled, printed and filed in a folder that I keep right next to my pristine Air Fryer and Instant Pot. They are pristine not because I am a meticulous housekeeper but because I have yet to use them. I keep hoping that simply buying each new appliance will magically transform me into Julia Child II. So far, however, the only one of her “talents” I’ve been able to emulate is dropping food on the floor and picking it up before anyone notices. more »

"The consumer revolution of the mid-nineteenth century led to an explosion of available fashion goods at increasingly affordable prices. More middle- and even working-class women could buy industrially produced accessories; however, this accessibility created class tensions between the aspirational and those who had traditionally participated in luxury fashion... Social commentators judged women as extravagant or ruinous by the style of their hats, marked morality by the cleanliness of their gloves, and condemned by the vulgar color of their shoes. more »

Lucky I had booked a long stay in London in September 2019, given how the world changed in early 2020. One the greatest cities on earth, it has held my heart for almost fifty years ... The flat I rented near the Tower of London, was just around the corner from the Minories, a famous pub that welcomes a diverse group of people. Waiting on the bus to Trafalgar Square, a vision, well over six foot tall and built like a lumberjack, with a head of red curly hair flying in the wind, came marching towards me. A whirl of colour passed me by in a wild apple green frilly dress, white platform boots, a red handbag festooned with silver and gold objects, held in a big hand, and bright blue eyelids, many pairs of eyelashes and scarlet lips like the late comedian, Joan Rivers. Like London itself, I love the Tower. Entering the gate I get a sort of frisson, and this time was no different. On a private visit, in a part of the Tower closed to the public, as dusk fell I saw the Raven Master settling the birds in for the night. more »

Cordy Tindell Vivian was a roaring lion of the civil rights movement. Born in July of 1924, he died last July right before his 96th birthday. Given all the dangerous things he did in his life, it’s amazing that he outlived his adversaries as well as most of his friends. One of those friends helped him write this memoir, as his ability to do so declined with age. Steve Fiffer met Vivian in 2014, when he interviewed him for another book. CT — as his friends called him — was one of his heroes. They stayed in touch, occasionally discussing a collaborative memoir. It was CT’s daughter who persuaded Fiffer to do it now.  more »