Entertaining

Roberta McReynolds writes: A book about how to read tea leaves was brought to the table. When our cups were empty, my mother and I were instructed to flip them upside down and spin them around three times before turning them upright again. My mother tried to discern shapes in the dregs which were looked up in the book for interpretation. This fortune-telling seemed a tad wicked to me at the time, but still tempting as the forbidden fruit. more »

Think the actors get hungry sitting around the food hour after hour? While they usually only eat the foods like watercress or cucumber, Food Stylist Lisa Heathcote notes, "They do occasionally tuck in, depending upon how peckish they are, and where we are in the day." She describes a typical menu at a house party: "A clear soup to start with; a fish course; an entrée, a roast; a cheese and fruit course; a pudding; and "a savory, which is a tiny little mini morsel of something savory, a weenie little thing upon a plate. It's a lot of food." more »

Julia Sneden wrote: So I miss them, those children we reared, but all things considered, I'll settle for the way things are now. Besides, when I feel a deep need I can look into the face of my youngest granddaughter and see my son's merry brown eyes looking back at me. And that's no small thing for which to be thankful. more »

Shopping for STEM gifts, especially for a math-mad granddaughter, isn't easy but Boutique Academia's necklace, She Who Dares, Wins is apt as well as Tardis, Ada Lovelace and molecule necklaces. A soft little book of tips for fresh and saltwater fishers should be a hit as well as other flipbooks. A beautiful line of clothes from Edinburgh is a year round find, as well porcelain from Itsuko and Central Park plates. For my husband, a dopp kit, construction kits for grandchildren from National Building Museum. And an additional shop, SpiceAce. more »